http://www.restorativejustice.org The implementation of restorative practices in the school setting impacts both the relationships in the classroom and the number of students excluded from school. These evaluations discuss the impact of restorative practices on different measures. daily 1 2009-02-23T23:01:44Z http://www.restorativejustice.org/RJOB/restorative-justice-takes-on-west-oakland-schools from an article by Cassidy Friedman on New America Media: From 2005 to 2009, the city of Oakland backed a restorative justice pilot project at Cole Middle School, in West Oakland, which was already slated to be shut down for low test scores. It was among the first attempts to implement restorative justice circles at a U.S. school. By the final year, standardized test scores had risen by 74 points. The school, which had suffered from a high turnover of teachers, retained all of its faculty. And delinquency plummeted; suspensions fell 87 percent and expulsions dropped to zero. No publisher dvanness School Region: North America and Caribbean Policy Evaluation Country:USA 2011-05-10T14:38:14Z News Item http://www.restorativejustice.org/RJOB/restorative-justice-school-program-reduces-student-delinquency from the press release announcing the study: A pilot program to change how teachers and administrators respond to student misbehavior at an Oakland middle school led to a dramatic drop in suspensions and expulsions, according to a new study released today. During a one-year implementation of the alternative “restorative justice” program, suspensions dropped by 87 percent and expulsions dropped to zero. No publisher dvanness Report School Evaluation Story 2010-12-16T17:40:38Z News Item http://www.restorativejustice.org/RJOB/hong-kong-research-demonstrates-effectiveness-of-the-restorative-whole-school-approach from the paper by Dennis S.W. Wong and T. Wing Lo: To evaluate the effectiveness of a restorative whole-school approach (RWsA), a pre-post study was undertaken. The sampling frame was based on the school list provided by the education authority. A total of 1480 Secondary 1 (equivalent to aged 12) to Secondary 3 (equivalent to aged 14) students from four different Hong Kong schools participated in the survey between September 2004 and August 2006. Due to practical constraints such as the school curriculum and extra-curricular activities, schools had the autonomy to implement the programmes to different degrees, which were then evaluated by the research team. No publisher dvanness Evaluation School Country:Hong Kong Region: Asia 2010-11-29T00:47:25Z News Item http://www.restorativejustice.org/RJOB/reviewendeavor This video describes the positive results of restorative practices implemented in a school with behavioral and performance problems in England. No publisher lparker School Video Review Practice Evaluation Secondary 2010-08-05T19:35:28Z News Item http://www.restorativejustice.org/10fulltext/Safety_with_Dignity.pdf This report examines six New York City public schools that are successfully maintaining safety while simultaneously promoting a nurturing school environment. This report explores the methods employed by these schools, including the tangible and intangible qualities that have contributed to their success. It concludes with practical recommendations to help the New York City Department of Education (DOE)—and urban school districts across the country—replicate their successful approaches to discipline and security. The report was prepared by The New York Civil Liberties Union, the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University and Make the Road New York. No publisher dvanness Policy School Practice Evaluation 2010-08-05T19:38:51Z File http://www.restorativejustice.org/RJOB/westphil West Philadelphia High School has undergone a transformation. It has been on Pennsylvania’s “Persistently Dangerous Schools” list for six years, but the implementation of restorative practices and strong leadership, headed by principal Saliyah Cruz, have made a huge difference. The culture and climate of the school have improved significantly, violent and serious incidents have plummeted, and rates of discipline procedures such as suspensions and expulsions have decreased dramatically. (from the article written by Laura Mirsky for the Restorative Practices E-Forum). No publisher editor School Practice Story Evaluation Secondary 2010-08-05T19:34:23Z News Item http://www.restorativejustice.org/RJOB/findingsfromschools From the International Institute for Restorative Practices e-Forum: The International Institute for Restorative Practices has compiled a 36-page booklet of findings from schools in the United States, England and Canada that are implementing restorative practices. No publisher International Institute of Restorative Practices School Guidelines Manual Guideline Policy Standards Evaluation 2010-08-05T20:07:21Z News Item http://www.restorativejustice.org/editions/2007/october07/scottishschools In 2004, the Scottish Executive allocated funding for a 30-month pilot project to introduce restorative practices into schools in three Local Authorities. An August 2007 evaluation report outlines the implementation process for the different areas and the progress made in establishing restorative practices in the school. No publisher lparker School Country:Scotland Government Region: Europe RJ Online Evaluation 2007-10-01T11:34:25Z Page http://www.restorativejustice.org Schools are a microcosm of our world. They demonstrate the outcome of our investment, the potential, and its continuous need to adapt to changing times. Walking into an elementary school, middle school, high school, you may actually be able to feel this. Conflict is palpable much of the time. On the surface, Merrill Middle School in Oshkosh, WI, has a lot working against it. Oshkosh is a largely blue collar town and about 50% of Merrill's students are from families at or below poverty level. Many families are unable to stay an entire school year.Relationships are difficult to establish. How has Merrill brought it all together? In 2003, it ended its "honor level" approach to discipline in favor of a restorative justice approach. By creating circles and a core concept of restorative justice, staff and students have joined forces to create better communication when problems occur. (excerpt) Nelson, Tanya Country:USA Evaluation Middle Policy Practice Report School Story 2007-03-04T23:41:09Z RJ Article http://www.restorativejustice.org Restorative Practices has assumed international prominence as a preferred approach for working with children and youth at risk. There has been significant activity in Ontario implementing the model in school boards and in youth justice contexts. The Child and Youth Worker at George Brown College is the first CYW program to embrace this philosophy and model within the curriculum, as a focus of research and as a platform for equip ping students and practitioners with the concrete tools for implementation. This article details the 6-year journey from inception and its current robust stage of work with children under 12 in a variety of settings ranging from Inner City schools to children’s mental health settings. (author's abstract) Kelly, Richard Evaluation Middle Practice Primary School 2007-03-04T23:41:09Z RJ Article http://www.restorativejustice.org With bullying in schools high on policy makers’ agendas, researchers are looking for effective strategies to tackle its disruptive effects. The present study sets out to address this issue. First, the prevalence of bullying is examined in Hong Kong High Schools, and second, the effectiveness of a Restorative Whole-school Approach (RWsA) in reducing bullying is examined in a quasi-experimental design. The RWsA emphasizes the setting up of restorative goals, clear instructions, team building, and good relationships among students, parents, and teachers. Over the course of 2 years, and across four schools, the effectiveness of this program was observed by comparing an intervention group with a partial intervention group (which did not receive the full treatment) and a control group (which received no treatment whatsoever). The group that received the RWsA treatment exhibited a significant reduction of bullying, higher empathic attitudes, and higher self-esteem in comparison to the partial intervention and the control group. (authors' abstract) Wong, Dennis S. W. and Ngan, Raymond M. H. and Cheng, Christopher H. K. and Ma, Stephen K. Country:Hong Kong Evaluation Policy Region: Asia School 2007-03-04T23:41:09Z RJ Article http://www.restorativejustice.org It is clear that schools are mirroring the criminal justice system by becoming harsher toward student misbehavior despite decreases in delinquency. Moreover, Black students consistently are disciplined more frequently and more severely than others for the same behaviors, much in the same way that Black criminals are subjected to harsher criminal punishments than other offenders. Research has found that the racial composition of schools is partially responsible for harsher school discipline just as the racial composition of areas has been associated with punitive criminal justice measures. Yet, no research has explored comprehensively the dynamics involved in how racial threat and other factors influence discipline policies that ultimately punish Black students disproportionately. In this study (N = 294 public schools), structural equation models assess how school racial composition affects school disciplinary policies in light of other influences on discipline and gauge how other possible predictors of school disciplinary policies relate to racial composition of schools, to various school disciplinary policies, and to one another. Findings indicate that schools responding to student misbehavior with one type of discipline tend to use other types of responses as well and that many factors predict the type of disciplinary response used by schools. However, disadvantaged, urban schools with a greater Black, poor, and Hispanic student population are more likely to respond to misbehavior in a punitive manner and less likely to respond in a restorative manner.(author's abstract) Payne, Allison Ann and Welch, Kelly Evaluation School 2007-03-04T23:41:09Z RJ Article http://www.restorativejustice.org In this report we examine a pilot restorative justice program at a school that primarily served students of color from low-income families. We document the implementation of the program at Cole Middle School in West Oakland, California, and the observations and perceptions of those who participated in it. We also draw lessons from Cole’s experiences that we hope will be helpful to those interested in implementing school-based restorative justice. (excerpt) Sumner, Michael D. and Frampton, Mary Louise and Silverman, Carol J. Country:USA Evaluation Region: North America and Caribbean School 2007-03-04T23:41:09Z RJ Article http://www.restorativejustice.org The first comprehensive survey of 7,025 Chinese primary schoolchildren found that 24% of respondents reported that they had sometimes physically bullied another child. When children observed school bullying, 56% said they immediately reported it to their teachers. Another 20% tried to stop the bullying by approaching the bullies. The study also identified factors associated with bullying. These included coming from an adverse psychosocial background and having more contact with violent values through association with deviant peers and exposure to the mass media. On the basis of the research findings, potential methods of bullying intervention are discussed. (author's abstract). Restorative practices are discussed among the interventions. Wong, Dennis S. W. and Ma, Stephen K. and Lok, David P. P. and Wing Lo, T Evaluation Policy Report School 2007-03-04T23:41:09Z RJ Article http://www.restorativejustice.org Discipline That Restores is a restorative discipline system for schools, classrooms, and homes that parallels, contributes to, and draws from emerging international conflict resolution education, peace education and restorative justice movements with emphasis on the last. (excerpt) Claassen, Roxanne and Claassen, Ron Article Evaluation Practice Primary School 2007-03-04T23:41:09Z RJ Article