George Lucas Educational Foundation

Restorative Practices

Educators across the country are replacing punitive discipline with a restorative approach, resulting in fewer suspensions and expulsions. Learn how educators make these practices successful in their classrooms and schools.

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  • The Vital Role of Principals in Implementing Restorative Practices

    Administrators can guide schoolwide use of restorative practices by ensuring that teachers are on board and have access to effective training.
    Amy Starzecki
    770
  • A Restorative Approach to Grading

    A fresh approach to promoting equity in grading can lead to stronger relationships with students and deeper learning in the classroom.
    353
  • An Administrator’s Strategy for Calming Disruptive Students so They Can Stay in Class

    When an administrator is called in to deal with a disruptive student, the situation is serious. This is a model for helping the student calm down so they can remain in class.
    7.9k
  • A Relationship-Driven Strategy for Addressing Challenging Behavior

    Putting relationships first can yield positive results in student success.
    4.1k
  • Using Talking Circles for Restorative Justice

    Using talking circles in the elementary grades provides teachers with a way to discuss student behavior with care and concern.
    263
  • 3 Alternatives to Assigning Detention

    Developing relationships with students to help them make positive choices requires planning and patience, but the work pays off.
    5.5k
  • Using Restorative Justice to Transform School Culture

    When restorative justice is implemented on a schoolwide level, it has the potential to transform relationships between teachers and students.
    3.4k
  • In the multipurpose room, a large group of middle school students fill one side of the bleachers, some clapping.

    Restorative Justice: Resources for Schools

    Explore resources and case studies that demonstrate how to bring restorative justice to your school or classroom.
    16.6k
  • Building Community With Restorative Circles

    A technique for proactively building the skills and relationships students will need when challenges arise.
    11.2k
  • 4 Steps to Discussing Challenging Behavior With a Student

    Addressing students’ behavior can be tough, but it’s possible to approach them in ways that show compassion and help them feel ready to discuss the issue.
    2.3k
  • Why Restorative Practices Benefit All Students

    Punitive discipline can be harmful and unfair—restorative practices offer hopeful solutions.
    12.2k
  • How to Safely Manage a Student in Crisis

    A trauma-sensitive, proactive plan for safely managing disruptive behavior includes knowing when to call for support and how to help a student de-escalate.
    1.7k
  • A Proactive Approach to Discipline

    Restorative discipline seeks to create an environment in which problem behavior is less likely to occur.
    6.6k
  • Suspensions Don’t Teach

    Restorative practices—an alternative to punitive justice—keep kids in school, where they can learn how their behavior affects others.
    7.4k
  • How Restorative Justice Helps Students Learn

    Restorative justice allows everyone affected by a harm to return to a calm state that is optimal for learning.
    5.7k

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George Lucas Educational Foundation

Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.
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