Restorative Practices 1

Restorative Practices

Grand Valley State University

Kelly Chamberlin
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Restorative Practices

Restorative justice, or restorative practices, is a form of response to a student’s action. It is a

framework that focuses on immediate, relevant, and logical consequences to students’ actions. This is

an alternative to the traditional method of discipline in school- punishment, suspension, marks on

students’ records. As a soon-to-be student teacher to students with emotional impairments, I believe

this is a great way for students to right their wrongs instead of taking disciplinary measures. At the core

of restorative justice is a sense of community, common goals, and finding solutions to the problems at

hand. It strengthens classroom culture because the teacher spends time and effort to emphasize the

importance of community and responsibility for each other’s actions. Restorative practices in the

classroom come in many forms. Whether it is having a student picking up a chair they just threw, leading

a community circle, or creating a class ‘hopes and dreams’ list- these practices can be performed at any

time of the day.

In one study of restorative practices in an elementary setting, Goldys (2016) said their students

had a “55% decrease in office referrals, 49% decrease in time missed from instruction, 55% decrease in

physical aggression, 97.7% of students feel safe in school, over 20,000 minutes back in classroom

compared to last year”. These numbers are not outliers, as many other studies have showed extremely

positive results from implementing restorative practices. A study that observed students from various

counties (New Zeeland, Scotland, China, U.S) also concluded the positive results from using restorative

practices, showing its generalization benefits. This is a well-studied movement that is making its way

into schools across the globe and can benefit those who have behavioral management issues.
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References

Gregory, A., Stone, S., Farrar, J., Jenson, J. M., McQueen, J., … Simmons, J. (2016). Restorative

Interventions and School Discipline Sanctions in a Large Urban School District. American Educational

Research Journal, 53(6), 1663–1697. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831216675719Goldys, P. H. (2016).

RESTORATIVE PRACTICES: From candy and punishment to celebrations and problem-solving

circles. Journal of Character Education, 12(1), 75-80. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/docview/1930065482?accountid=39473