Restoring Connections through Advisory
“The premise of mindful education is that all human beings are born with the seeds of the most beneficial universal qualities, such as compassion, creativity, integrity, and wisdom. From this perspective, the ideal of education is to teach in such a way that fosters these beautiful latent qualities.” (Zinn, The Way of Mindful Education p. 13)
As I embark on my last semester of college, I have begun to think about education in a much broader sense; it extends beyond the classroom and touches communities, households, and minds. For most of my college career, I have wanted to become a classroom teacher. I wanted to be an English teacher that shows how literature can be transformative and inspire future generations. As I have learned more about the education system and barriers to competent education, my interest shifted from classroom teaching to change the structure of education as a whole. I have become particularly interested in restorative practices in schools aiming to shift school culture to emphasize relationships rather than rules.
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Restorative practices are a positive disruptive force entering the education scene to rewrite this narrative. While restorative practices will greatly benefit specific populations of students, these approaches will truly benefit all students regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic status. In this Edutopia article, "Why Restorative Practices Benefit All Students" by Maurice J. Elias, a research scientist with the Committee for Children, Brian H. Smith, PhD., offers insight into why restorative approaches help close the achievement gap between students of color and their white counterparts largely caused by punitive discipline measures. As punitive discipline measures can appear effective in terms of "removing the problem," this merely criminalizes misbehavior instead of reducing it. Suspension rates in schools skyrocketed after schools adopted zero-tolerance policies during the 1990s when fear of crime was at an all-time high. Now, however, research is showing that suspension and expulsion do not only harm the individual student removed from the classroom; removing a student erodes his connection to school: teachers, peers, and the very act of being in a classroom.
As restorative practices can be used as an alternative to punitive discipline, they serve as highly effective preventative measures to promote student belonging. According to the International Institute for Restorative Practices, as Brian H. Smith points out, "The aim of restorative practices is to develop community and to manage conflict and tensions by repairing harm and building relationships," (Elias). Smith continues, saying, "Restorative practices strengthen students' connections to both staff and other students, and that's why restorative practices support both prevention and response," (Elias). By focusing on the importance of relationships and fostering true person-to-person connections, the overall school climate becomes more positive and inclusive. Restorative practices combat the notion of removing a child from the classroom when something is done wrong. Instead, restorative practices center around repairing the harm done between peers, educators, and the community.
So, what do restorative practices actually look like in schools? I'm glad you asked! In the video above, the beginning opens with how students being removed from classrooms for disciplinary reasons impacts the students beyond that single instance. When they return to class, they must catch up on the course work they missed in addition to coping with the strained relationships between their peers and teachers. The school, pre-restorative approaches, does nothing to help ease the transition for a student back into the community. Once this school introduced restorative practices, the school culture shifted as the students were greeted each morning by name and suspension became a last-resort option. Perhaps the most notable part of this video is when the concept of the restorative circle is introduced. In a restorative circle, each person is considered equal and has equal opportunity to contribute, or pass, if they choose to do so. There is a talking piece that dictates when each person is offered the space to talk. By having these circles, it emphasizes that students' voices are important. Circles can be used in the wake of misbehavior to repair harm between a specific student and the larger school community, peers, and teachers. Circles can also, however, be used regularly as preventative measures to foster school connectedness and student belonging.
Burkhardt and Kane emphasize how having one adult in the school for each student who can serve as an advocate is crucial to students’ wellbeing. Knowing that there is at least one adult in the building who cares for them and will have their back if needed can exponentially change a student’s experience in middle school. It is in these moments when teachers see students as individuals with their own unique human needs.
As shown in the video above, elements of restorative practices are evident in schools that have advisory programs when they use circles. Circles allow each student to be fully seen and heard in a non-academic setting. Although advisory periods can be used for academic purposes, the most important outcome is the relationship-building that occurs during advising meetings. The graphic above highlights how school connectedness extends beyond feeling connected to other students; rather, students must feel connected to the community as a whole. Restorative practices, both in terms of response and prevention, aid in building connection and fostering strong relationships.
As schools work to incorporate more inclusive practices to benefit all students, I leave you with this quote from Jon Kabat Zinn from his book The Way of Mindful Education in which he writes of the ideal interaction between students and teachers:
“The premise of mindful education is that all human beings are born with the seeds of the most beneficial universal qualities, such as compassion, creativity, integrity, and wisdom. From this perspective, the ideal of education is to teach in such a way that fosters these beautiful latent qualities.” (Zinn, The Way of Mindful Education p. 13)
Burkhardt, Ross M. Kane, J. Thomas. This We Believe: Successful Schools for Young Adolescents “An Adult Advocate for Every Student.”
This article highlights the importance of having an adult advocate for every student in the building so each student feels cared for and supported. In advisory settings, each student is paired with an adult who serves as an academic and personal resource throughout their time at school. Building strong relationships between students and adults is crucial to student success in school and beyond.
Drewery, W., & Kecskemeti, M. (2010). Restorative Practice and Behaviour Management in Schools: Discipline Meets Care. Waikato Journal of Education, 15(3), 101–113. https://doi-org.library.smcvt.edu/10.15663/wje.v15i3.85
This article discusses restorative practices from a disciplinary stance as it stems from the criminal justice reform initiatives. As restorative justice in the criminal realm focuses more-so on adults, this article emphasizes its use for youth. It mainly touches on the uses in terms of discipline rather than restorative approaches in terms of preventative measures.
Why Restorative Practices Benefit All Students
Reistenberg, Nancy. Circle in the Square: Building Community and Repairing Harm in School
As I embark on my last semester of college, I have begun to think about education in a much broader sense; it extends beyond the classroom and touches communities, households, and minds. For most of my college career, I have wanted to become a classroom teacher. I wanted to be an English teacher that shows how literature can be transformative and inspire future generations. As I have learned more about the education system and barriers to competent education, my interest shifted from classroom teaching to change the structure of education as a whole. I have become particularly interested in restorative practices in schools aiming to shift school culture to emphasize relationships rather than rules.
Restorative Practices
As restorative approaches are slowly becoming more engrained in school systems, advising is a great entry-level system to introduce restorative elements into the classroom. Most people are familiar with the system of detentions, suspensions, and expulsions that occur after breaking various rules that ultimately damage relationships between students, teachers, and the whole school community. Punitive measures that occur within schools so often ignore the root of the problem: the relationships are severed. And, as these punitive measures continue, the relationships continue to suffer and often lead to more instances of misbehavior and, in some cases, dropouts. Within this broken system, there is a disproportionate number of youths of color being punished more severely for similar infractions than their white counterparts. Unfortunately, this is a sad truth throughout the criminal justice system and the education system. As shown in the graphic below, students of color are at a much higher risk of being suspended than their white counterparts.
Check out this awesome, brief video from the International Institute for Restorative Practices that hits the highlights of what restorative practices are and how they can be used effectively:
So, what do restorative practices actually look like in schools? I'm glad you asked! In the video above, the beginning opens with how students being removed from classrooms for disciplinary reasons impacts the students beyond that single instance. When they return to class, they must catch up on the course work they missed in addition to coping with the strained relationships between their peers and teachers. The school, pre-restorative approaches, does nothing to help ease the transition for a student back into the community. Once this school introduced restorative practices, the school culture shifted as the students were greeted each morning by name and suspension became a last-resort option. Perhaps the most notable part of this video is when the concept of the restorative circle is introduced. In a restorative circle, each person is considered equal and has equal opportunity to contribute, or pass, if they choose to do so. There is a talking piece that dictates when each person is offered the space to talk. By having these circles, it emphasizes that students' voices are important. Circles can be used in the wake of misbehavior to repair harm between a specific student and the larger school community, peers, and teachers. Circles can also, however, be used regularly as preventative measures to foster school connectedness and student belonging.
Smith highlights a shift from punitive measures to restorative approaches in response to research showing the long-term negative effects of punitive approaches on students who need supportive, connected environments in order to thrive. As I mentioned earlier, just as restorative practices will particularly benefit students who are most disadvantaged, they will benefit all students. During adolescence, a time riddled with anxiety, hormones, and angst, school connectedness is an important protective factor. According to the CDC, students who feel connected are less likely to engage in risky behaviors such as early sexual initiation, alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, and violence and gang involvement. Using restorative methods as preventative measures can seem daunting for schools as a culture shift needs to occur; however, an advisory system can be a great gateway to the world of restorative practices.
Advisory and School Connectedness
Advisory provides each student with a small community, i.e. an advisory group, resulting in school connectedness increasing as they form relationships with their peers and advisors. Perhaps one of the most important components of school connectedness is the connection students feel not only between themselves and their peers but to their teachers and other non-parental adult figures. In “An Adult Advocate for Every Student,” Burkhardt and Kane emphasize the importance of connecting young people with an adult who can provide guidance, support, and encouragement during times of stress. Particularly during adolescence, students need to feel connected not only to their peers but to adults in the building as well. When I think about my own experiences in middle school, I was fortunate enough to have a close-knit “Advising Family” comprised of 8-10 students and my English teacher. Although our advising periods were often filled with silly games and moments to debrief important events, I knew that those moments with that group were different from the rest of the day because I could be my authentic self. Advisory provides a chance for students to really connect - with others and with themselves.As shown in the video above, elements of restorative practices are evident in schools that have advisory programs when they use circles. Circles allow each student to be fully seen and heard in a non-academic setting. Although advisory periods can be used for academic purposes, the most important outcome is the relationship-building that occurs during advising meetings. The graphic above highlights how school connectedness extends beyond feeling connected to other students; rather, students must feel connected to the community as a whole. Restorative practices, both in terms of response and prevention, aid in building connection and fostering strong relationships.
As schools work to incorporate more inclusive practices to benefit all students, I leave you with this quote from Jon Kabat Zinn from his book The Way of Mindful Education in which he writes of the ideal interaction between students and teachers:
“The premise of mindful education is that all human beings are born with the seeds of the most beneficial universal qualities, such as compassion, creativity, integrity, and wisdom. From this perspective, the ideal of education is to teach in such a way that fosters these beautiful latent qualities.” (Zinn, The Way of Mindful Education p. 13)
References
Burkhardt, Ross M. Kane, J. Thomas. This We Believe: Successful Schools for Young Adolescents “An Adult Advocate for Every Student.”
This article highlights the importance of having an adult advocate for every student in the building so each student feels cared for and supported. In advisory settings, each student is paired with an adult who serves as an academic and personal resource throughout their time at school. Building strong relationships between students and adults is crucial to student success in school and beyond.
Drewery, W., & Kecskemeti, M. (2010). Restorative Practice and Behaviour Management in Schools: Discipline Meets Care. Waikato Journal of Education, 15(3), 101–113. https://doi-org.library.smcvt.edu/10.15663/wje.v15i3.85
This article discusses restorative practices from a disciplinary stance as it stems from the criminal justice reform initiatives. As restorative justice in the criminal realm focuses more-so on adults, this article emphasizes its use for youth. It mainly touches on the uses in terms of discipline rather than restorative approaches in terms of preventative measures.
Why Restorative Practices Benefit All Students
This article includes an interview with Brian H. Smith, PhD., on the beginnings of restorative practices, the current state of school discipline, and why restorative practices benefit all students. He touches on the achievement gap between students of color and their white counterparts as restorative practices can help narrow the gap. In school discipline, youths of color are more likely to receive suspensions than white students for the same infractions, further widening the achievement gap as these students now miss school in addition to having fractured relationships with the system. Restorative practices focus on repairing the harm done and fixing relationships by keeping students in school.
Manassah, T., Roderick, T., & Gregory, A. (2018). A Promising Path toward Equity: Restorative Circles Develop Relationships, Build Community, and Bridge Differences. Learning Professional, 39(4), 36–40.
This article focuses on the implementation of restorative approaches into the New York City school system to lessen the racial achievement gap and reduce suspensions, absences, and involvement in the juvenile justice system. The Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility in New York City explains their approach to weaving together equity, SEL, and restorative practices as if building a house - SEL skills are the foundation on which restorative practices, circles, in particular, are able to provide the opportunity for people to practice SEL skills and build a sense of community. Adding in difficult conversations about race, the three components combine to make a more equitable school in which each student is valued as having inherent worth and dignity. By incorporating SEL and restorative practices together rather than separately, schools are able to address the skills students need to “behave better” while simultaneously working to reform the systems that disproportionately disadvantage students of color and students from other oppressed groups. The most notable aspect of this article is the notion that restorative practices “create opportunities for student and parent leadership around school climate and culture” (38). This article serves as background information into the work of restorative practices and how they can change school culture particularly when students are brought into the facilitation process.
McCluskey, G., Lloyd, G., Kane, J., Riddell, S., Stead, J., & Weedon, E. (2008). Can restorative practices in schools make a difference? Educational Review, 60(4), 405–417. https://doi.org/10.1080/0013190802393456
McCluskey writes of a two-year evaluation of a pilot program incorporating restorative practices in 18 schools in the United Kingdom. Restorative practices stem directly from the use of restorative circles within the criminal justice system intended to repair harm between individuals and within communities. Restorative practices shift away from a punitive system towards a system that strives to restore good relationships. Adopting these approaches in school systems seeks to develop an ethos within the school system that places the emphasis on relationships rather than punishing students for their behaviors. This study highlights the difference between restorative justice in the criminal justice system and restorative approaches in education as the former is almost exclusively adults working with young people who have offended whereas, in education, the entire school community comes together to work in partnership with the young person who has caused harm to the community. One of the primary findings of the study is that little improvement occurred when a whole-school approach was not adopted. This emphasizes the need to work together as a community to effect change within school systems.
Manassah, T., Roderick, T., & Gregory, A. (2018). A Promising Path toward Equity: Restorative Circles Develop Relationships, Build Community, and Bridge Differences. Learning Professional, 39(4), 36–40.
This article focuses on the implementation of restorative approaches into the New York City school system to lessen the racial achievement gap and reduce suspensions, absences, and involvement in the juvenile justice system. The Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility in New York City explains their approach to weaving together equity, SEL, and restorative practices as if building a house - SEL skills are the foundation on which restorative practices, circles, in particular, are able to provide the opportunity for people to practice SEL skills and build a sense of community. Adding in difficult conversations about race, the three components combine to make a more equitable school in which each student is valued as having inherent worth and dignity. By incorporating SEL and restorative practices together rather than separately, schools are able to address the skills students need to “behave better” while simultaneously working to reform the systems that disproportionately disadvantage students of color and students from other oppressed groups. The most notable aspect of this article is the notion that restorative practices “create opportunities for student and parent leadership around school climate and culture” (38). This article serves as background information into the work of restorative practices and how they can change school culture particularly when students are brought into the facilitation process.
McCluskey, G., Lloyd, G., Kane, J., Riddell, S., Stead, J., & Weedon, E. (2008). Can restorative practices in schools make a difference? Educational Review, 60(4), 405–417. https://doi.org/10.1080/0013190802393456
McCluskey writes of a two-year evaluation of a pilot program incorporating restorative practices in 18 schools in the United Kingdom. Restorative practices stem directly from the use of restorative circles within the criminal justice system intended to repair harm between individuals and within communities. Restorative practices shift away from a punitive system towards a system that strives to restore good relationships. Adopting these approaches in school systems seeks to develop an ethos within the school system that places the emphasis on relationships rather than punishing students for their behaviors. This study highlights the difference between restorative justice in the criminal justice system and restorative approaches in education as the former is almost exclusively adults working with young people who have offended whereas, in education, the entire school community comes together to work in partnership with the young person who has caused harm to the community. One of the primary findings of the study is that little improvement occurred when a whole-school approach was not adopted. This emphasizes the need to work together as a community to effect change within school systems.
Other Resources
Reistenberg, Nancy. Circle in the Square: Building Community and Repairing Harm in School
Hulvershorn, K., & Mulholland, S. smulholland@nu. ed. (2018). Restorative practices and the integration of social-emotional learning as a path to positive school climates. Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching, 11(1), 110–123. https://doi-org.library.smcvt.edu/10.1108/JRIT-08-2017-0015
Restorative Practices Fact Sheet
Restorative Practices Fact Sheet
Hi Rylee, your blog post was well written and very informative. It has been great working with you on our team and how you have brought some of these ideas into our advisory such as the idea of connectedness. I really enjoyed learning more about restorative practices and I am curious about other restorative practices. I know restorative circles are also used when a traumatic event happens in a community, so I am curious how those are different and how they are similar to the restorative practices used for discipline.
ReplyDeleteHi Rylee! I really enjoyed reading your blog post. I've participated in a few restorative practices, but getting more information from your post was really great! I like that you went into detail about the different uses within the classroom, but I'm also interested in how restorative practices can be utilized in a more general school community! Overall, your post was very informative, and great to read! You've inspired me to do more reading on restorative practices and how I can incorporate it in my own future classroom!
ReplyDeleteHello Rylee! I found your post to be quite impactful. I find that restorative practices are very interesting, and in comparison to traditional disciplinary action it is evident how much more impactful restorative practices can be on an individual basis and in terms of the general academic community. You presented your research and application of restorative practice in academic settings remarkably well. Building relationships and maintaining positive connections in the classroom and broader academic settings is immensely critical and I feel as if you portrayed that clearly within your post. Wonderful work! So proud of you.
ReplyDeleteBest,
Emily