Restorative practices

IN OUR last issue we introduced restorative practices, a concept to which some of our teachers were exposed in a two-day workshop hosted by TTUTA and facilitated by the American Federation of Teachers. The challenge that now confronts us is: “What are the next steps to reach this goal of restorative practices in our schools?” To yield the best results, a wholeschool approached is needed in the adoption of restorative practices.

Consequently, the starting point involves the bringing together of the school’s community, inclusive of parents and community groups which may be involved with the school.

Together, these stakeholders must discuss their expectations in terms of culture and climate and the role restorative practices can play in achieving these goals.

A core group of people who are trained in restorative practices (teachers, parents, administrators, student council) will be needed to lead the charge.

The decisions made must be data- driven. Before any interventions are implemented, there must be a concerted effort to collect data on the culture and climate of the school, as well as the disciplinary practices of the school.

Once the school has a clear picture of what is needed, the next step is to introduce the concept to the wider school community. Various forums may be used including whole-school assemblies, focus discussions and ongoing workshops to pique the interest of the school community.

Professional development for staff on restorative practices must be ongoing (staff meetings, departmental meetings, assemblies). The development of professional learning communities will provide a system of support where members can meet regularly to learn from one another and grow and deepen the work of restorative practices.

Throughout the process, progress monitoring and adjustments, as needed, should be made to ensure the school is on task in achieving the goals of its restorative practice plan.

In summary, schools can adopt restorative practices by following these steps: Step1: Restorative practices, professional development and laying the groundwork: * Determine the need of the school as a whole in terms of restorative practices (RP) implementation.

* Discuss preferred outcomes of the whole school, in terms of RP implementation.

* Conduct intensive training on RP for your core team.

* Invite core people to be part of the RP implementation and support team.

* Introduce RP to the entire school and school community.

Step Two: Systems of support * Create systems of support for ongoing RP professional development as well as addressing problem- solving, genuine dialogue, and overall support.

* Examine the school community outcomes and design tools for continuous checks on the progress of the work.

* Provide ongoing RP professional development workshops for the implementation and support team.

* Train staff, students and students’ families.

* Engage in ongoing appraisals of the practices to create a climate that is restorative in nature.

Step Three: Progress monitoring for stated outcomes * Whole-school buy-in is instrumental in truly altering the culture and climate of the school.

* Consistent monitoring of the implementation process and progress towards the stated outcomes is required and must be followed with fidelity.

* Build an inventory of practices shaped by the data derived from your monitoring process.

Step Four: Sustainability * Ongoing and regular progress checks to ascertain if the school is on track towards achieving the desired, stated outcomes.

Restorative practices provide schools with an effective strategy for addressing indiscipline; but, as outlined above, it will require change, support, and continuity.

TTUTA stands ready to be a part of this process.