RJ and Education
RJ and Education
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San Francisco Unified School District
In recognition of the need for an accelerated “culture shift” in how SFUSD approaches solutions to disruptive student behavior and suspension rates, the Board of Education adopted Resolution No. 96-23A1.
Safer Saner Schools at The International Institute for Restorative Practices
“The International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP) Safer Saner Schools program provides a comprehensive implementation model that works with educators to transform school climate in districts across the United States through professional development, coaching, and restorative practice trainers. Their website offers insights on the model for implementing restorative practices in schools, as well as a list of research and reports on its efficacy.”
NPR Morning Edition: An Alternative To Suspension And Expulsion: ‘Circle Up!’
This 4-minute segment focuses on Oakland Unified, a national leader in expanding restorative justice. The District is at the forefront of a new approach to school misconduct and discipline. Instead of suspending or expelling students who get into fights or act out, restorative justice seeks to resolve conflicts and build school community through talking and group dialogue.
Chicago Public Schools Suspensions and Expulsions Reduction Project Update
Implementation of restorative practices is a crucial component of the Chicago Public Schools Suspensions and Expulsions Reduction Project (SERP). Implementation of restorative practices is a crucial component of the Chicago Public Schools Suspensions and Expulsions Reduction Project (SERP).
Building Safe, Supportive and Restorative School Communities in New York City
This case study compiled by the Dignity in Schools Campaign highlights the positive impact of restorative approaches to school discipline in four New York City public schools.
Outcomes of a Restorative Circles Program in a High School Setting
This study uses interviews to identify benefits and downsides of school-based restorative practices, in a school with a large population of African American students and students eligible for reduced lunch.
Improving School Climate: Findings from Schools Implementing Restorative Practices
This report is composed of excerpts from articles, reports and disciplinary data from schools and districts implementing restorative practices. This data is taken together with “in their own words” reports.
Restorative Justice in U.S. Schools: Practitioners’ Perspectives
This report provides an overview of how educators are integrating restorative justice into their schools.
The Starts and Stumbles of Restorative Justice in Education: Where Do We Go from Here?
This policy brief from the National Education Policy Center summarizes research on restorative initiatives, with a focus on implementation and outcomes in U.S. schools.
Creating Restorative Schools: Setting Schools Up to Succeed by Martha A. Brown, PhD
The book maps the route from school cultures of zero tolerance to those cultivating healthy and vibrant relational ecologies. It shows how nurturing relationships builds the capacity to negotiate the challenges.
Restorative Justice in Schools – Gaby’s Story
A California high school student describes what she’s gained from using restorative practices at her school.
Restorative Practices in New York City Schools
This discussion is led by Tala Manassah of Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility.
Schools Resolve Conflicts by Getting Kids to Talk Things Out
This PBS News Hour segment highlights Brooklyn schools, students and administrators, implementing restorative justice in partnership with the Center for Court Innovation and the impact it has made.
Teachers’ Democracy Project’s Restoring Schools
Restoring Schools is a video by Teachers’ Democracy Project on how Oakland, Minnesota, New York and Denver have worked to create restorative school districts, and what has worked and what’s been difficult.
PBS News Hour
To curb conflict, a Colorado high school replaces punishment with a successful restorative justice program.
An Alternative to Suspension and Expulsion: “Circle Up!”
NPR reports on student and teacher responses to the implementation of new restorative justice initiatives within Oakland Unified School District.
“Restorative Justice” A New Approach to Discipline at School
NPR reports on a harm circle facilitated between two middle school students and their parents after a fight at a school in Oakland Unified School District.
Opening Up, Students Transform a Vicious Circle by Patricia Leigh Brown, New York Times
An article covering students and their experiences in community-building processes rooted in restorative justice.
Youth for RJ
A NYC-based group that works to empower youth by elevating their voices to address disproportionality and inequity in schools.
Circle Forward: Building a Restorative School Community by Carolyn Boyes-Watson & Kay Pranis, Living Justice Press
Circle Forward is a resource guide designed to help teachers, administrators, students and parents incorporate the practice of Circles into school community life. This resource guide offers comprehensive step–by-step instructions.
Circle in the Square: Building Community and Repairing Harm in School by Nancy Ristenberg, Living Justice Press
Nancy Riestenberg writes warmly and with long experience about the challenges facing school communities and how restorative measures—specifically Circles—create a safer space for learning and development for all.
The Student Peace Alliance
The Student Peace Alliance is a national, non-profit advocacy organization working to empower chapters on college campuses around the country to promote, educate, advocate, and take direct action in support of a variety of both domestic and international peace and justice issues, including advocating for restorative justice/restorative practices. Chapters often has monthly actions, guest speaker series, film discussions, and advocacy trainings.
A Year of Love and Struggle in a New High School
NPR’s Code Switch and Education Week have spent a year reporting on a new public school in Washington D.C. focused on challenging narratives around criminalization and educational outcomes for young men of color. NPR’s Code Switch and Education Week have spent a year reporting on a new public school in Washington D.C. focused on challenging narratives around criminalization and educational outcomes for young men of color.
Restorative Justice in U.S. Schools: A Research Review
The WestEd Justice & Prevention Research Center highlights the research and evaluation work that researchers are conducting in school safety, violence and crime prevention, juvenile and criminal justice, and public health.
Power in Partnerships: Building Connections at the Intersections of Racial Justice and LGBTQ Movements to End the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Power in Partnerships is a resource for all racial justice and LGBTQ groups seeking to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline, providing the latest relevant information, candid conversations and promoting best practices. Power in Partnerships is a resource for all racial justice and LGBTQ groups seeking to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline, providing the latest relevant information, candid conversations and promoting best practices.
Oakland Unified School District
Oakland Unified School District’s (OUSD) Restorative Justice program is implemented through a three-tier, school-wide model of 1) prevention, 2) intervention, and 3) supported reentry in conflict response. OUSD also offers RJ training to OUSD staff, parents, students, and CBOs.
Safe and Supportive Schools: A Plan to Improve School Climate and Safety in NYC
This report presents a review of current data related to school safety in NYC, and draws a series of holistic recommendations on how to make schools healthier and more secure.
We Don’t Have to Wait for Permission to Create Restorative Model Schools
“If our goal is to uproot the systemic racism and other prejudices that live within the structure of our educational system and in every school building, then we must move to make deep changes in many areas. To get this done, it’s imperative that we share best practices and strive to implement model schools that can serve as beacons for others across the nation.”
Heart of Hope: A Guide for Using Peacemaking Circles to Develop Emotional Literacy, Promote Healing and Build Healthy Relationships by Carolyn Boyes-Watson & Kay Pranis
This book provides specifics for conducting effective Circles, developing emotional literacy and building healthy relationships. The book is being used in schools and in health care facilities and elder abuse programs.
The Ongoing Challenges, and Possible Solutions, to Improving Educational Equity
The pandemic and the 2020 murder of George Floyd drove many districts to recognize longstanding racial disparities in academics, discipline, and access to resources and commit to addressing them. But in 2021, a backlash to such equity initiatives accelerated, and has now resulted in 18 states passing laws restricting lessons on race and racism, and many also passing laws restricting the rights and well-being of LGBTQ students.
What is Restorative Justice?
We enjoy this bilingual (English/Spanish) video that answers the question, “What is restorative justice?” from the Center for Restorative Justice at the University of San Diego.
Young People Face a Mental Health Crisis. Here’s What New York City Should Do About It.
City leaders can also support student wellness by expanding and fully implementing restorative justice practices, which aim to address the root causes of behavior, holding students accountable while building and healing relationships, teaching positive behaviors, and keeping them in school, learning. New York City must use federal stimulus funding allocated for restorative practice before it expires. It also should expand funding by baselining $120 million for full and effective implementation of restorative justice practices in 500 schools.
How School Discipline Impacts Students’ Social, Emotional and, Academic Development (SEAD)
“To create physically safe and emotionally supportive environments for all students, schools must adopt evidence-based approaches such as restorative justice that can be used to build and repair relationships while also holding students accountable for their actions.”
Job Listings
RJI compiles and regularly shares restorative justice job openings throughout NYC. Subscribe to our email newsletter to receive these announcements!
Header Photo by Maurice Pinzon
What people are saying about Restorative Justice Initiative
As both a practitioner and researcher, I am especially grateful for RJI's emails about events and research that are important and timely.
Additionally, RJI helps practitioners connect with others doing this very challenging work nationwide and globally. RJI serves as a professional learning community for those involved in the restorative justice movement.
Finally, practitioners can access information on how to maintain their own wellness as they carry out this very important work."
— Virginia Diaz
“The Restorative Justice Initiative (RJI) is a critical source of information and resources. Along with providing accessible and useful material for program development, RJI keeps us abreast of training opportunities and introduces us to other organizations in the restorative justice space. Connecting with RJI has been key to our progress creating an organization wide commitment to restorative principles and practice.”
—Stephen Tosh, Boys’ Club of New York Executive Director/CEO
“I didn’t think I could make friends with people who were from different places than me.”“We were quiet before you all got here. You brought the voice out of us.”“We all get to be weird here, together, and accept one another’s weird”
“What Restorative Justice Initiative is doing to bring together people working in restorative justice in different arenas is truly amazing. People are learning from each other, updating ideas, and finding ways to make restorative justice work in complex real life situations in New York.
— Tracey
“In my role as a law professor, I teach students about ways to resolve conflict and achieve justice that are healing rather than adversarial and punitive, exposing them to compassionate alternatives to traditional legal practice. Students are excited to learn about the healing potential of restorative practices and the empirical evidence demonstrating that such practices reduce recidivism among those who may have engaged in transgressions against their communities. The Restorative Justice Initiative is an indispensable resource enabling me to share with my students placement opportunities, trainings, and conferences, that may offer them pathways to using their legal talents to engage in this vital work. There is nothing else like it in New York.
— Marjorie
“Expanding non-adversarial ways to resolve wrong-doing that includes perpetrator, victim, and community—is essential if our country is to move in the direction of peace. RJI does a wonderful job of pulling together many New York City area organizations that are working toward this goal.
— Julia
“The Restorative Justice Initiative is essential in helping New York City build and grow a network of stakeholders from the government, nonprofit and private sectors interested in advancing restorative principles, practices and policies in our criminal , education and social service systems.
— Julie