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An alternative to suspension and expulsion: 'Circle up!'
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from the story by Eric Westervelt on NPR:
Oakland Unified, one of California's largest districts, has been a national leader in expanding restorative justice. The district is one-third African-American and more than 70 percent low-income. The program was expanded after a federal civil rights agreement in 2012 to reduce school discipline inequity for African-American students.
At Edna Brewer Middle School, the fact that students are taking the lead — that so many want to be part of this effort — shows that it's starting to take root.
"Instead of throwing a punch, they're asking for a circle, they're backing off and asking to mediate it peacefully with words," says Ta-Biti Gibson, the school's restorative justice co-director. "And that's a great thing."
Located in
Restorative Justice Online Blog -- RJOB
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Defending restorative discipline
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by Jeremy Simons
When I started working at Cole Middle School in inner city Denver in 2003, it was ranked dead last in the entire state of Colorado, with proficiency scores on standardized testing (CSAP) in the single digits. It would later be shut down by the state and turned into a charter school, which was also closed after 3 years, in a bizarre attempt at school “accountability.” Student misbehavior went hand in hand with the academic problems, with hundreds of students suspended every year and substitute teachers bullied out of the building by students. Local residents called the school a “gang factory.” Police cruisers were regularly parked outside with officers escorting students out between the elegant Doric columns supporting the main entrance, grand reminders of forgotten days when the school produced graduates rather than criminals. It was a sad example of what community activists and parents were just beginning to call the “school to prison pipeline”.
Located in
Restorative Justice Online Blog -- RJOB
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Jeremy on Defending restorative discipline
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Addendum: The context of this is a critique of restorative discipline by Ruben Navarette on CNN and can be found at http://edition.cnn.com/2014/03/28/opinion/navarrette-school-discipline-white-house/index.html?iid=article_sidebar
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Restorative Justice Online Blog -- RJOB
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Defending restorative discipline
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Restorative Practice in Schools Receives a Boost in the UK.
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The Youth Justice Board and the Government’s Children’s Fund in the UK are sponsoring new programs to address misbehaviour in schools. The funding is part of a greater emphasis on using restorative justice by the government. Projects will address bullying, truancy, crimes, and other destructive behaviours, in the expectation that use of restorative processes will reduce the number of students expelled from school each year.
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Previous Editions
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2003
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October 2003 Edition
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The Rise and Fall of Restorative Justice on Boulder’s University Hill
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Thomas Russell provides background to the initiation and decline of a restorative justice programme in Boulder, Colorado. His description provides lessons for restorative justice implementation.
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Previous Editions
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2004
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February 2004 Edition
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Statement of Restorative Justice Principles in Schools
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Lyndsey Sharp,a researcher with the Restorative Justice Consortium in London provides an overview of the development of the Consortium's Statement of Restorative Justice Principles as Applied in the School Setting.
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Previous Editions
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2004
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March 2004 Edition
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Restorative Discipline in Universities
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In fall 2005, Fresno Pacific University implemented a restorative discipline policy to respond to conflict and rule infractions involving students. Built on the principles of restorative justice, the process seeks to provide fair, just and holistic responses to these infractions. The process consists of four stages of increasing levels of formality.
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Previous Editions
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2005
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December 2005 Edition
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Introducing Restorative Practices into Scottish Schools
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In 2004, the Scottish Executive allocated funding for a 30-month pilot project to introduce restorative practices into schools in three Local Authorities. An August 2007 evaluation report outlines the implementation process for the different areas and the progress made in establishing restorative practices in the school.
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Previous Editions
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2007
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October 2007 Edition
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Restorative Practices in New School Discipline Policy
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At its August 2008 meeting, the Denver Public Schools board approved a new discipline policy that includes restorative interventions. Created by a coalition school board members and community groups, the new policy seeks to lower the district's reliance on suspension and referral to law enforcement agencies. At the same time, they seek to give students and their parents more of a voice in the disciplinary process.
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Previous Editions
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2008
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September 2008
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Restorative Practices in New School Discipline Policy
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At its August 2008 meeting, the Denver Public Schools board approved a new discipline policy that includes restorative interventions. Created by a coalition school board members and community groups, the new policy seeks to lower the district's reliance on suspension and referral to law enforcement agencies. At the same time, they seek to give students and their parents more of a voice in the disciplinary process.
Located in
Previous Editions
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2009
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January 2009 Edition.
