6th annual Restorative Discipline Summer Institute (2018 RDSI)

Welcome! Just as this year’s logo illustrates, we want to widen our circle of friends, so join us in welcoming schools in Wichita, KS. This year we sill host a second Institute at the end of June 2018.

In St. Louis this year, we will have three tracks so that new and returning practitioners will have content sessions specific to their needs. The third track for administrators will offer more practical application of formal restorative conferencing, time for sharing and learning from one another, and participants will learn from a special session with guest speaker, Dr. Frida Rundell from International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP). Frida is a founding faculty member of the IIRP graduate program and has depth of knowledge and experience in brain research, social-emotional learning, and trauma-informed practices. You can read more about her at www.iirp.edu.

June 12-14:  St. Louis registrants will experience a 3-day event with more team planning strategies, individual tracks, a best practices showcase, and special guest, Dr. Rundell.

June 25-28:  Wichita registrants will experience a 4-day event with more basic training, specialized breakout sessions, and special guest, Dr. Rundell.

Certification standards and practices will be updated this year. Learn more on the last day of each Institute about how you and your school can begin (and advance) with the process of certification. A new online tracking system will be featured this year to streamline the process of understanding and implementing best practices in your school community. Additional coursework and graduate credit options will also available.

Written by Cindy Long for NEAToday (August 25, 2016)

Dallas-NEA, the Dallas affiliate of the Texas State Teachers Association, collaborated with Dallas Independent School District to pilot restorative discipline programs in six Dallas elementary and middle schools – Caillet Elementary, Dunbar Learning Center, and Medrano, Gaston, Hood and Boude Storey middle schools. A grant from the National Education Association helped fund teacher training in the practice.

The results speak for themselves: Last year, in-school suspensions at the piloted schools dropped by 70%. Out-of-school suspensions dropped by 77%. The number of students sent to alternative school was cut in half.

“This effort has focused on students building relationships with teachers in the hopes that in these relationships, problems can be addressed and solved before they become bigger issues,” says David Griffin, teacher leader with Dallas ISD and a member of the NEA-Dallas board of directors.

Read the entire article here: neatoday.org/2016/08/25/restorative-discipline/

How Pittsfield, New Hampshire’s Schools Are Practicing Restorative Justice

JIM VAIKNORAS/The Hechinger Report                                                                                                           The Pittsfield Middle High School English teacher Jenny Wellington, bottom left, observes a practice session of the Restorative Justice Committee.

“People were afraid this was going to be a ‘hippy-dippy-granola-nobody’s-going-to-get-in-trouble’ concept.” With this leading line, Emily Richmond of The Atlantic, opens her report on Pittsfield, New Hampshire’s schools’ successful implementation of restorative practices.

Richmond goes on to explain: “In traditional school-discipline programs, students face an escalating scale of punishments for infractions that can ultimately lead to expulsion. But there is now strong research that shows pulling students out of class as punishment can hurt their long-term academic prospects. What’s more, data shows that punishments are often unequal. Nationally, more black students are suspended than white students, for example.

As a result, alternative programs like restorative justice are gaining popularity in public schools from Maine to Oregon. Early adopters of the practice report dramatic declines in school-discipline problems, as well as improved climates on campuses and even gains in student achievement.”

Read the entire article here: http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/12/when-restorative-justice-works/422088/?utm_source=SFTwitter

Integrating Bullying Prevention and Restorative Practices in Schools: Considerations for Practitioners and Policymakers

This recent publication by Stacie Molnar-Main, Ed.D, Center for Safe Schools provides a good framework for schools reflects a paradigm shift in the field of safety and violence prevention. Participants in a workgroup comprised of national experts in the field offer a recommendations for integrating bullying prevention and restorative practices.  Click here to download the document.

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Nearly every principal interviewing potential teachers can ask the question, “When you are teaching, and you are disrupted by a student, what do you do?” Teacher Jean Klasovsky from Farragut High School states that restorative practices can make a difference. She shares some concrete examples in her TEDx Talk linked here:

Our unique model combines the timeworn practice of virtue and restorative practices. Jean’s great message provides hope to so many teachers, students and parents struggling with discipline.

Knowing the best strategies for addressing classroom disruptions and other antisocial behaviors can be the key to holding relationships as the highest priority and also a key component to academic success. So back to answering to the question, “What do you do when a student disrupts your classroom?” It becomes an invitation to reflect on personal growth and build restorative practices onto that foundation. This is a winning response for any teacher!