Restorative Practices

Restorative Practices are a continuum of informal and formal strategies designed to develop community in schools and foster healthy relationships. As a prevention and intervention approach to discipline, restorative practices provide an alternative to suspension and can be integrated into a school’s multi-tiered system of support.  Approaching from a restorative practices lens helps to restore a sense of belonging, safety, and importance in the school community.

Restorative Practices are built on the  5 R’s  of Relationship, Respect, Responsibility, Repair, and Reintegration. These 5 R’s provide a structural and behavioral model implemented in the classroom to restore and rebuild community when a disruption has occurred.  These processes support and complement the existing PBIS and other current climate initiatives that impact and prioritize school culture, discipline, and academic standards.

Resources

• Defining Restorative Practices: An article by Ted Wachtel, IIRP President and Founder (PDF)​ 
• Restorative Practices: Fostering Healthy Relationships & Promoting Positive Discipline in Schools​ 
• Continuum of Restorative Practices Guide
• A Guide to Facilitating Restorative Circles in Schools (PDF)
• Schoolwide Implementation Toolkit
• Phases of Implementation for Schoolwide Restorative Practices

Websites

• IIRP
• Community Matters