Restorative Practice In Schools

Andersen United Community School attempts to establish strong connections among all of its members through diverse modalities. Specifically, the school utilizes restorative practices to deal with behavior issues. According to the department of Education,” Restorative practice is a strategy that seeks to repair relationships that have been damaged, including those damaged through bullying. It does this by bringing about a sense of remorse and restorative action on the part of the offender and forgiveness by the victim”. This strategy seems to work with most of the students as it helps them develop growth mindset and holds them accountable for their actions. This system is collectively used throughout the school to help students of color focus

Over 90% percent of the students who are expelled or suspended from our school happen to be students of color. This practice teaches them while holding them accountable for their actions. This practice focuses on inclusion rather than exclusion. When students of color are constantly kicked out of schools for petty reasons, it continues to affect their academic excellence. It puts them at a disadvantage. It allows educators and school personnels to view them as incapable. In essence, this will lead to teachers and school staff having low expectations for these groups of students. According to Ladson-Billings (2006),” Whether teachers think of their students as needy and deficient or capable and resilient can spell the difference between pedagogy grounded in compensatory perspective and those grounded in critical and liberatory ones “(p. 31). This is significant to note because this perpetuates the notion that students of color need to be excluded from learning environment when their behavior becomes “too disruptive”. The practice sheds light on the function of behavior rather than focusing on consequences of breaking rules.the school is testing this strategy to improve students retention in school, test scores, and more importantly instilling the love of learning for diverse learners. It is harder for the school to implement it effectively

In the article, The principal 's role in creating inclusive schools for diverse students: A review of normative, empirical literature on the practice of educational administration, it is mentioned that administrators have a powerful role in creating a strong school environment. The author states, “When practitioners are relentlessly committed to equity, voice, and social justice, administrators efforts in making sense of and promoting inclusive cultures and practices in schools, and in building positive relationships outside the school, may foster a new form of practice”(Riehl,2000). Although this practice is grand and fruitful, I think there is a huge disconnect when it comes to putting it into practice. For instance, some of the teachers do not quiet understand the methods of restorative practices. They continuously send out the same students out of their classroom. This partnership between administrators, teachers and parents is shay and needs to be refined. One recommendation I would provide is to offer explicit training on how to effectively conduct this practice across the school, so everyone is on the same page. Not only will this strengthen the community bond, it will show students that there is continuity in behavioral expectation. I commend my school for trying this practice because it is essential. This connection promotes ethnic studies approach since it focuses of school climate rather than student