I have always celebrated snow days. This winter, however, eleven of my thirteen scheduled trainings were postponed because of snow days. So, I had to get creative to find a reason to celebrate.
During my unexpected free time, I studied restorative justice integration into school cultures. Specifically, I went through RJ integration manuals from the Minnesota Department of Education (draft only), Restorative Justice Colorado, Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY), Baltimore City Public Schools and others. I found an outstanding book called Implementing Restorative Practices in Schools by Marg Thorsborne and Peta Blood. And I explored the work of education change researcher, Dr. Michael Fullan.
The result of my studies gave me lots of reasons to celebrate!
- First, restorative justice philosophy and practices evolve to address the needs of the community. There is no “One Size Fits All” version of RJ, but there are guiding principles such as a clear focus on healing the harm, respect for all, everyone having a voice, and more.
- Second, RJ integration begins wherever that community is ready. “Begin where you are and grow from there” and use valuable tools such as Implementation Science and collaboration along the way.
- Third, most schools need a period of exploration before whole-scale adoption and perpetual learning and growing. This is most clearly illustrated by the change model called “Ready-Fire-Aim” mentioned in the Minnesota materials and Michael Fullan’s work.
- Fourth, collaboration is key to the success of RJ integration. Teachers, students, support staff, parents all play a vital role in shifting the culture from punitive to restorative. Don’t try to impose RJ alone. Collaborate and learn along with members of your community for the most productive evolution.
- Fifth, integrating restorative justice into school cultures and practices takes three to five years of persistent, dedicated effort through training, coaching, collaboration, team building and practice. If you begin with a training (as most models do) recognize that is just the beginning of a restorative journey.
We’re here to support your journey and bolster your success by using the wisdom of schools and districts who have learned along the way. Contact Nancy at 517.505.1828 or schertzingcommunications@gmail.com to learn more about how to move your school along its restorative journey!