http://www.justicereparatrice.org/www.restorativejustice.org Restorative practices are used to address disciplinary and other matters in schools with students at every age level. These resources are related to the implementation of restorative practices in the school environment. daily 1 2009-02-23T23:01:44Z http://www.justicereparatrice.org/www.restorativejustice.org/RJOB/restorative-justice-stops-fights-keeps-kids-in-schools from Nelson Garcia's article on 9News.com: Juan Salazar used to be one of those students who got into trouble for fighting at North High School. Now he uses words instead of fists. "If someone bumped into me, I started saying something," Salazar, a senior, said. "It always led to a fight." It also always led to a suspension. No publisher dvanness Story School Region: North America and Caribbean Country:USA 2010-03-08T03:50:11Z News Item http://www.justicereparatrice.org/www.restorativejustice.org/RJOB/givin-them-kids-all-the-power.-whats-next-no-discipline-no-obedience-no...fist-fights from the blog entry by Savannah Iverson on Restorative Justice Colorado: What you're about to read in this blog article, is a little about how I have changed over the past year, after joining the Restorative Justice (RJ) student team. I joined the team the summer before freshman year.First though, let me give a brief description of the Longmont High School RJ Team. We are a team of roughly 20 student facilitators that practice Restorative Justice in 3 schools in the SVVSD. It’s a program run by student facilitators for students in conflict. No publisher dvanness Story School Region: North America and Caribbean Country:USA 2011-11-09T00:02:11Z News Item http://www.justicereparatrice.org/www.restorativejustice.org My goals include: developing stronger relationships between pupils and teachers; helping pupils and teachers develop problem-solving techniques; giving pupils skills to work through conflicts (to express themselves clearly, set their own boundaries and reduce reliance on teacher intervention); and shifting teacher-pupil conflicts. My aim is to move teacher-pupil conflicts from power struggles, shaming and punishment led chiefly by teachers to problem solving-focused conflict resolution methods and/or behavior consequences cooperatively achieved by teachers and pupils together. (excerpt) Pautz. Marie-Isabelle Practice School Teacher 2007-03-04T23:41:09Z RJ Article http://www.justicereparatrice.org/www.restorativejustice.org/RJOB/the-promise-of-restorative-justice-new-approaches-for-criminal-justice-and-beyond reviewed by Martin Wright It is becoming increasingly clear that the principles of restorative justice can be used, as the editors say, outside the formal criminal justice system, and this book bears witness to that. Half is about criminal justice, and half about other applications in schools and elsewhere. The contributors reflect the book’s origins among a group at Fresno Pacific University in California, but other chapters come from Bulgaria, Canada, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. No publisher dvanness School Victim Book Review Reform Practice Story System Correspondent:Martin Wright National Reconciliation Prison Policy Workplaces Other 2011-01-27T22:13:12Z News Item http://www.justicereparatrice.org/www.restorativejustice.org The purpose of this study was to investigate the practice and the impact of peer mediation in eight secondary schools. This research is the first to investigate peer mediation in secondary schools. In doing so, it sought to give the peer mediators and other students a "voice." The students explained the peer mediation process, the effects on their personal lives, relationships, school climate and families. The thirty-three participants of the study include eight mediators, two disputants, two non-disputants, six students who refused mediation, seven teachers, one non-teacher and seven administrators. Three students refused to be interviewed. All student participants were eighteen years of age when interviewed. The method employed is qualitative. A personal interview was conducted with each mediator and disputant to investigate what happens during the mediation process, their satisfaction with the process and the impact it is having on them and the school community. Teachers, coordinators of the peer mediation programs and administrators were also interviewed individually to get their perception of the program's impact on the mediators, disputants, other students and the school climate. Data gathered were analysed in four stages. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and the categories and themes were identified and sorted. The findings indicate that peer mediation provides one of the best opportunities for creating peaceful schools. The study is significant because it verifies and brings to the forefront ten issues that are important to the field of peer mediation and conflict resolution. (author's abstract) Samuels, Fae Ernestine Evaluation School 2007-03-04T23:41:09Z RJ Article http://www.justicereparatrice.org/www.restorativejustice.org/other/schools/resources-for-teaching-rj-in-the-classroom/restorative-justice-in-the-classroom.-lesson-5-the-justice-circle-part-3 This lesson builds on lesson four by providing students with an opportunity to learn and practice the facilitation of Justice Circles. After a review of the purpose and process, students role-play scenarios, covering all roles including the role of facilitator. After their role-play experience, students discuss whether the circle would be effective in both healing the victim and helping the offender learn a better way to behave, and explore what could have been done differently to more effectively meet those objectives. (excerpt) No publisher lparker School Training 2009-05-22T06:25:15Z Link http://www.justicereparatrice.org/www.restorativejustice.org/other/schools/resources-for-teaching-rj-in-the-classroom/restorative-justice-in-the-classroom-lesson-2-class-meetings Through role-play and discussion, this lesson will help students understand the motives behind offending and re-offending and to develop problem-solving consequences that will help offenders learn a better way to behave. By developing restorative consequences, the classroom community can help the offender repair the harm he/she has caused and discourage the offender from re-offending. Students practice consensus building and explore the consequence-setting aspect of justice circles. (excerpt) No publisher lparker School Tool 2009-05-22T06:25:15Z Link http://www.justicereparatrice.org/www.restorativejustice.org This study asks how restorative practices build the leadership capacity of students at Lower Mainland Elementary School(LME). Leadership capacity in schools requires the enagement of students and staff in creating an inclusive community. This study has shown that as students are given meaningful opportunities to work together, they are building a supportive school culture. Students involved in restorative justice are helping others, engaging in collaborative problem solving,demonstrating accountability and communicating more effectively. Restorative justice at LME is building an inclusive culture where students ,teachers and the principal have a collective responsibility for the school community. Desautels, Paula School Teacher 2007-03-04T23:41:09Z RJ Article http://www.justicereparatrice.org/www.restorativejustice.org/press-room/04av/rjschoolsmapleton A high school student describes how participating in restorative justice changed her attitude and approach to school. Her principal describes the positive impacts of restorative justice on the school environment. No publisher lparker School Video Story 2010-10-26T18:27:44Z Google Video http://www.justicereparatrice.org/www.restorativejustice.org/press-room/04av/rjschoolsmontebello In this video, practitioners and a student explain the impact restorative practices had on the culture of Montbello High School in Longmont, CO. The suspensions and expulsions fell by 30%. No publisher lparker School Video Story 2010-10-26T17:40:44Z Google Video http://www.justicereparatrice.org/www.restorativejustice.org A report on the results of restorative justice procedures instituted at Endeavour High School in England. The use of such methods as circles and discussion has improved behavior, increased the sense of community in the school and the larger community around it, and contributed to positive relationships between the students and the teachers. Editor School Story Video 2007-03-04T23:41:09Z RJ Article http://www.justicereparatrice.org/www.restorativejustice.org The restorative approach means that those in authority at CSF Buxmont work with the students rather than doing things to them or for them. It’s been shown that people are more likely to make positive life changes and adjust their negative behaviors, and be happier, more cooperative and more productive through this approach. Unlike an authoritarian, punitive or overly permissive approach, the participatory or restorative mode enables the students to restore relationships and build community. The restorative model shows the youth that he or she has control over and responsibility for his or her own life. Most people will embrace this approach, which allows them more autonomy and participation in decision making. And at CSF Buxmont, this learning happens in a safe place. The students learn that this community is one in which they are all equal, working hard to reach similar goals and working together to arrive at solutions to problems that come up along the way. (excerpt) Lange, Brenda Region: North America and Caribbean School Story 2007-03-04T23:41:09Z RJ Article http://www.justicereparatrice.org/www.restorativejustice.org In this article Janice Wearmouth, formerly professor of education at the University of Wellington, New Zealand and now at Liverpool Hope University, Rawiri McKinney, an advocate for Rangatahi who has recently completed his Master of Education degree, and Ted Glynn, foundation professor of teacher education at the University of Waikato, discuss two examples of restorative justice in practice to illustrate how community norms and values can help to encourage more socially appropriate behaviour. Both examples come from a New Zealand Maori context and interventions undertaken with young men whose behaviour was of concern in school and in the local neighbourhood. The interventions operated through traditional Maori protocols to shift the focus away from individuals on to the whole community in order to focus on 'putting things right' between all those involved in the wrong doing. These examples show how the use of traditional community resolution processes was able to resolve tensions, make justice visible and re-establish harmonious relations between the individuals, the school and between members of the community. The use of restorative practices in schools is not straightforward, however. The authors of this article argue that it requires that schools do not own or completely control the process but are responsive to the local context and recognise the important sources of support that may be found in some of the families and local voluntary community groups within it for addressing problematic student behaviour. Ted Glynn and Rawiri McKinney and Janice Wearmouth School Story 2007-03-04T23:41:09Z RJ Article http://www.justicereparatrice.org/www.restorativejustice.org Established in 1986 Southwark Mediation Centre (SMC) is one of the oldest community mediation centres in Europe. In the last issue we looked at the success of SMCs’ Hate Crimes Project which is effectively tackling cases of racial abuse using a restorative approach. Alongside that project, the SMC runs two others, the second specialising in Neighbour Disputes and Anti-social Behaviour, the third, training Peer Mediators in Schools. SMC started working with schools in the early 1990s. In this article we look at how SMC's Peer Mediation Project is working to effectively deal not only with conflict arising in the school setting, but to resolve disputes between young people in the wider community. Finally we take a look at how SMC is taking this work forward in partnership with one particular group of enthusiastic young Mediators at Bacon’s College, Rotherhithe. (excerpt) Editor School Story 2007-03-04T23:41:09Z RJ Article http://www.justicereparatrice.org/www.restorativejustice.org This study focused on the effects of elementary students’ participation in a mentored peer mediation program during a school year as it related to three variables, academic achievement, developmental disposition, and conflict orientation. Phase I, academic achievement, focused on the relationship between participation in this program and academic performance on the California STAR tests in English Language Arts. Archival data from approximately 1,180 upper grade students in seven elementary schools were studied to examine this relationship.Phase II, the developmental disposition component, aimed at gaining an understanding of the multidimensional nature of empathy. It focused on the cognitive responses of individuals, as well as the emotional facets of perspective taking as students engaged in mediator experiences. The instrument used to assess this component was the Davis Scales of Interpersonal Reactivity Index, which measured separate aspects of empathic reaction. Conflict Orientation was measured using a free-response questionnaire, providing a qualitative data component. Two hundred ninety seven upper grade students at five elementary schools participated in the dispositional and conflict orientation components. Four school districts with diverse socioeconomic, demographic, and ethnic representation were included in the study. Phase I data indicated that grade 5 was a critical year in the mentored mediation program, impacting academic achievement at a significantly greater level than the two other upper grade levels. The data suggested that grade 5 students may have benefited from two years of participation as mediators before realizing academic gains. Decreases in sixth grade participation due to attrition led to diminished representation of mediators. This perhaps accounted for the minimal academic gains evidenced at that grade level. Phase II data provided evidence that students demonstrated higher levels of developmental disposition and positive orientation toward conflict management when participating as mediation facilitators than when participating as nonmediator disputants. Mediators tended to implement effective conflict resolution skills, while non-mediators sought out peer mediators to resolve conflicts. It is hoped that the results of this study will contribute to the sustainability of mentored peer mediation programs in schools, by providing a clearer understanding of the interconnections among academic achievement, developmental disposition, and conflict orientation. (author's abstract) O’Farrell, Eimear M. School Story 2007-03-04T23:41:09Z RJ Article