1. Dr. Kathy Evans Eastern Mennonite University
Restorative Justice in Education: Building a Restorative School Culture
Dr. Kathy Evans
Eastern Mennonite University

2. Let’s share our ideas: What comes to mind when you hear the word, RESTORATIVE?

3. Restorative Justice
“a process to involve, to the extent possible, those who have a stake in a specific offense and to collectively identify and address harms, needs, and obligations, in order to heal and put things as right as possible.” Zehr

4. RJE Defined
Facilitating learning communities that nurture the capacity of people to engage with one another and their environment in a manner that supports and respects the inherent dignity and worth of all.

5. Restorative Justice emphasizes social engagement rather than social control. This means that our starting point in ‘how we are when we are together’ will be relationships rather than rules, people rather than policies, honoring rather than evaluating, meaning rather than knowledge, asking instead of telling, and well-being rather than success. This does not imply that rules, policies, evaluation, telling, and success are irrelevant; it simply means that these serve the needs of people living within community, and not the other way around. Evans and Vaandering (2016)

6. Restorative Justice Emphasizes:
Social engagement
Rather than
Social control
Relationships
Rules
People
Policies
Honoring
Evaluation
Meaning
Knowledge
Asking
Telling
Well-being
Success
Adapted from Evans, K. R. & Vaandering, D. L. (2016) The Little Book of Restorative Justice in Education. Skyhorse Publishing.

7. Principles of Restorative Justice in Education
Relationships are at the core of learning; these relationships are grounded in “interconnection and interdependence” between and among all members of the community where all are considered worthy of respect and dignity. Social and emotional learning, cultural awareness, and effective communication promote healthy relationships.
Building Healthy Communities
While conflict is inevitable in relationships; when relationships are broken because of conflict or challenging behaviors, focus is on restoring those relationships. Punishment for breaking rules is not the end goal; restoration is. This effort opens opportunities for each person to once again become a contributing member of the learning community.
Restoring Relationships
According to Zehr, there are three pillars of human need: Autonomy (sense of control), Order (things are as they should be), and Relatedness (belonging); when these needs aren’t met, we persist in finding ways to meet them. Students and teachers alike are more apt to live into their full potential when their needs are met. RJE seeks to address those needs.
Meeting Needs
Within RJE, conflict is viewed as transformative, providing opportunities to build self-regulation, social and emotional competence, and problem-solving skills. RJE is about addressing problems with people, not for them or to them. When we fix problems for others, we co-opt their opportunity to grow. Think: Vygotsky, Piaget, and Dewey.
Viewing Conflict
As a Learning Opportunity
RJE involves more than taking responsibility for personal actions; all members of the community are held accountable to those with whom they have relationships. RJE is NOT about lenience or looking the other way. RJE recognizes boundaries and expectations of accountability to others – within a supportive community.
Providing Accountability and Support
When harm occurs, those causing the harm work to repair the harm, to the extent possible, and restore relationship, allowing the person to transcend the script of negative identity and potentially providing healing for the harmed. It restores a sense of self for both the one harmed and the one causing the harm. This might look like restitution, but not necessarily.
Making Things Right
If it is truly restorative justice, we must focus on justice, as defined by those impacted most by our actions. Thus, RJE addresses issues of oppression, marginalization, the ‘isms, and other forms of injustice. Respect, honor, and compassion for ALL members of the community are enacted through relationships, which must be built, or re-built, and sustained.
Addressing Issues of Justice/Injustice
Think about the situation you shared with your group. Which of these principles might have an impact on how you interact with that student?
Adapted from Evans, K. R. & Lester, J. N. (2013).Restorative justice in education: What we know so far. Middle School Journal, 44(5),

9. Build and Maintain Healthy Relationships
Social and emotional skills are modeled, explicitly taught, consistently assessed and practiced
Students feel genuinely liked by adults in the community
Learning community model
Respect for and among all members of the community: students, caregivers, staff, faculty, and administration
Inclusion in decision-making
Conflict resolution skills are modeled and taught and practiced
Circle processes for building healthy community, celebrating diversity, and addressing conflict

10. Repair Harm and Transform Conflict
Conflict is embraced
Behavior is viewed as communication; mistaken behavior vs misbehavior
Communication skills
Instructional responses to challenging behaviors
Resources in place for addressing harm, frustration, or anger; trauma-sensitive
Implementation of peer mediation, counseling, circles of support and accountability, and conflict resolution processes
Discipline focuses on building self-regulation
A different set of questions

11. Create Just and Equitable Learning Environments
Culturally responsive pedagogy
Assurance that conflict and bullying will be addressed
Academic support for students’ diverse needs (ELL, IEP, differentiated instruction, etc)
Social/emotional support offered
Holidays and traditions
Intentional conversations about justice and equity among all members of the community
Intentional focus on human rights integrated into the curriculum
Representation

12. Justice Primary vs Secondary Power Interrupting injustice
Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Community, Economic, Environmental, Spatial, Structural, Systematic

13. Equity
We develop our potentialities as human beings and enhance our collective well-being when our needs are respected, expressed, listened to, defined with care, and ultimately met.
(Sullivan and Tifft)

14. Where to Start? Learn all that you can before you begin.
Build a shared vision among faculty and staff.
Look for ways to make small changes at first, building on what you’re already doing well.
Replace punitive discipline procedures with policies that promote restorative practices.
Model restorative and relational pedagogies.
Avoid starting too big.

16. Questions? kathy.evans@emu.edu
Any curriculum that does not study prejudice in all its forms—at the individual, systemic, national, and global levels—and that does not explicitly teach to end intolerance is not a multicultural curriculum.
- Wolk, S. (2007). Why go to school? Phi Delta Kappan. 88(9),
Questions?