Restorative Justice in Schools
This course begins with an immersion experience where students will build relationships with each other and, through experiential exercises and lively discussion, internalize core principles. Throughout the immersion and course, students compare and contrast restorative and retributive justice models, practice proactive and responsive restorative techniques, and identify personal and professional shifts to exemplify a restorative mindset. Specific restorative techniques which students will learn include restorative language, facilitation of a variety of types of circles, restorative dialogue processes, connections between racial and restorative justice, and systems and structures to accommodate restorative practice within school life. Through additional online seminars, students will strengthen their knowledge of the history, theory, research, and practice of Restorative Justice. The culminating focus of the course invites students to apply restorative principles and practices in their own school or district setting.
Outcomes: Distinguish between restorative and punitive motivations, techniques, strategies, and outcomes; Define a restorative mindset within a trauma framework by explaining the components of repairing harm between individuals and within communities; Plan, facilitate, and reflect on proactive and responsive circles (including those focused on: community building, healing, understanding, peace and mediation, celebration); Plan, facilitate, and reflect on effective restorative conversations; Plan, facilitate, and reflect on generating effective restorative consequences through a restorative conversation; Describe the connection between anti-racism and racial justice with principles of Restorative Justice; Identify systems, structures, and stakeholders to support the implementation of restorative justice principles to achieve school or district wide culture change.
Outcomes: Distinguish between restorative and punitive motivations, techniques, strategies, and outcomes; Define a restorative mindset within a trauma framework by explaining the components of repairing harm between individuals and within communities; Plan, facilitate, and reflect on proactive and responsive circles (including those focused on: community building, healing, understanding, peace and mediation, celebration); Plan, facilitate, and reflect on effective restorative conversations; Plan, facilitate, and reflect on generating effective restorative consequences through a restorative conversation; Describe the connection between anti-racism and racial justice with principles of Restorative Justice; Identify systems, structures, and stakeholders to support the implementation of restorative justice principles to achieve school or district wide culture change.