Restorative Practices
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Barriers and SolutionsTime
Teachers are expected to build relationships, establish positive classroom communities, teach problem solving skills, and conference with students while also teaching academics.. When we share our concerns, administrators say we have permission to put the curriculum aside, but they still hold us accountable to an unrealistic pacing guide along with a laundry list of other things! On top of that, teachers don't have sufficient training Answer: Teachers would feel less pressure and more eager to implement restorative practices in their classrooms if clear expectations, standards, and support were provided. Minutes for restorative practices on the daily schedule
MEMBERSTiffany Pyen Jill Telford Josue Torres Stephanie Beer Suzannah Weiss Candace Davis Belinda Omenitsch Group Contact: Tiffany Pyen tpyen1@gmail.com |
Barriers and SolutionsMeasurement
As a teacher, when I write up a student for Tier 3 behavior, such as physical intimidation or throwing objects that might cause injury, I usually check the box for “Restorative Conference with student”, but often, administrators default to ISS for Tier 3 behavior... The mediation circle was highly effective. The student was calm and not attention-seeking like he usually was in my class when I would normally try to talk to him. The student tried harder to behave well after that talk. In contrast, I’ve noticed that after students come back from ISS they say “Don’t talk to me” or seem jaded that I “snitched” or “got them in trouble”, and sometimes shut down when they see me. As a new teacher, I understand the value of conversing individually with students about their behavior, however this is hard to implement in an environment where teachers are inundated with work due to high teacher turnover, and when admin. cracks down on disruptive behavior with ISS. Answer: Teachers need help accessing Restorative Practices trainings that promote one-on-one discussions and mediation as opposed to punishment. We also need more more data to increase buy-in and spur change across the system. However, it is important to note that we also need an accountability system for administrators to implement Restorative Practices after their trainings. We recommend that DCPS hires data scientists to measure progress in Restorative Practices. However, there also needs to be an accountability system for teachers and admin. Ask Candace: One suggestion is to create a restorative way to measure outcomes through qualitative assessments such as
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