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Rooted in Indigenous culture, restorative practices aim to address harmful behavior in a manner that emphasizes community impact and allows those who have harmed, and those who have been harmed, to have a voice in the healing process. Unlike punitive discipline, which removes students from their classroom and possibly their school, restorative practices are “a relational approach to building school climate and addressing student behavior. The approach fosters belonging over exclusion, social engagement over control and meaningful accountability over punishment.”
Derrick Brown, Principal of San Antonio Independent School District’s (SAISD) Young Men’s Leadership Academy (YMLA), was challenged to rethink disciplinary options on his campus after a visit to Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) alongside UP Partnership staff in 2022.
Since returning, YMLA has implemented restorative practices and has already seen “improvements in behavior, classroom engagement and overall school morale,” Brown said, adding that recently the school has begun an initiative that allows students who are on the verge of expulsion to lead and facilitate circle discussions, or circles, for students in similar disciplinary situations.
“By giving students positive responsibilities, they feel more closely tied to their fellow students and the campus community as a whole. That is reflected in behavioral improvements. The change in those students has been remarkable to witness,” Brown said.
Dominique Soto, a fifth grade teacher at Paschall Elementary School in Judson ISD, was another educator on the OUSD campus visit. For her, the faith OUSD teachers had in nonpunitive discipline stood out the most. “Not only did the teachers truly believe in restorative practices, but the administration followed it with fidelity,” she said.
Returning to campus, her biggest question centered around getting teachers’ investment in restorative practices as Paschall began to implement restorative practices with a tiered system that started with whole class community building circles in the classroom. As her students became more confident, they started leading circles and began to teach staff how to run circles in their own classrooms
“Our students are the driving force behind restorative practices in our school community,” Soto explained. “They are able to lead in classrooms and across the campus, and truly provide a voice for community building and conflict resolution.”
Soto has seen a complete turn around in her students since implementing restorative practices. “I’ve always had students who were constantly referred to the office for various reasons, but now that they have a voice and a safe space to use that voice, students who frequently received referrals have not had a single behavioral issue that sent them to the front office,” she said.
Brown and Soto are two of 17 current participants of UP Partnership’s Restorative Practices Collaborative (RPC) which brings together teachers, staff members and administrators to learn about restorative practices and strategize ways to introduce, maintain or expand them on their school campuses.
Currently, school districts like SAISD, Judson, East Central and Harlandale are active participants of RPC, moving forward actionable commitments tied to a community-wide plan’s — Future Ready Bexar County — equity pillar of “Healing,” which, along with “Access” and “Voice,” are the must-HAVEs for equity among Bexar County’s young people.
Other schools participating in RPC have also seen positive results from their training.
SAISD is seeing a connection between restorative practices and improved attendance in at least two of their comprehensive high school campuses — Burbank and Jefferson high schools. Having the best attendance in the district, Burbank and Jefferson high schools have seen a reduction in absences due to out-of-school suspension, to 0.7% and 1%, of total absences respectively
East Central’s Pecan Valley Elementary, in partnership with Future Ready Anchor Partner Communities In Schools of San Antonio, has similarly seen a significant impact within students since implementing restorative circles. Most notably, the school has seen a decrease in disciplinary referrals and a 64% reduction in males in minor behavioral incidents. Additional data for the school shows that:
- 88% of the student population are able to regulate their emotions when it is needed, which is a 7% increase since East Central conducted its last survey and is 7% higher of a score than peer schools in the district.
- 70% of teachers are confident their students have the ability to learn all the materials presented in class, which is a 6% increase since East Central conducted its last survey and is 5% higher of a school than peer schools in the district.
At Harlandale’s Bellaire Elementary School, students like circles because it gives them a space to share feelings in a comfortable and inviting environment. One student explained, “What I like most about circles is we get to share our feelings and ask questions, while feeling connected to the other people in the circle.”
The circle guided by trained staff helps students connect to school and peers in a setting which embraces sharing, caring, and accountability to each other. For one student, “Circle helps me talk about stuff I don’t like to talk about in school and, mostly, not at home.”
For research on how restorative practices have positively impacted schools nationally, click here.
The administration and teachers currently undergoing RPC are just a subset of Community Ready makers essential to young people’s success, which also include parents, mentors and youth development workers.
We would like to hear your stories to help us shine a light on your heroic efforts to ensure young people have a safe and relationship-rich environment so they can focus on their learning, as well as provide an avenue to learn about restorative justice, the Restorative Practices Collaborative and community resources provided by Future Ready partners such as Communities In Schools of San Antonio, Empower House and American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions.
You can do so by clicking here and filling out the contact us form, tagging @uppartnershipsa or using #FutureReadySA on social media.
