Research and Reasoning

What Teachers Need to Know About Mindfulness

Mindfulness has been proven to reduce anxiety, improve attention, increase compassion, and improve ability to regulate emotions https://www.mindfulschools.org/about-mindfulness/research/

Tons of research on the benefits of mindfulness for adolescents here: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/mindfulness_in_education_research_highlights

This article in The Atlantic from 2015 has lots of links to the benefits of mindfulness as well as an interview with a teacher who currently use mindfulness in his classroom at a high school in the Bronx: When Mindfulness Meets the Classroom by Lauren Cassani Davis

Mindfulness may even help to reduce implicit bias; by becoming more aware of our thoughts, emotions, and surroundings, we can work to counteract the implicit biases we have developed. Read this article by Rhonda Magee from 2015 to find out more: How Mindfulness Can Defeat Racial Bias

Schools that implement Restorative Practices with high fidelity are showing almost unbelievable benefits. The evidence can be found everywhere from increased empathy to increased test scores, from decreased suspensions to decreased drop out rates. It has also been found effective in reducing that racial discipline gap.

Research Articles

Jain, S., Bassey, H. Brown, M., & Kalra, P. (2014). Restorative Justice in Oakland Schools: Implementation and Impacts

• Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) middle schools had 24% reduction in chronic absenteeism after implementing RJ
• High schools had a 56% decline in drop-out rates compared to 17% decline in schools that did not implement RJ in OUSD.
• Grade 9 Scholastic Reading Inventory levels doubled in high schools that had implemented RJ
• 70% of OUSD staff reported that RJ improved school climate
• After implementing RJ, there was a significant decline in the number & rate of African American students who were suspended

The Promise of Restorative Practices to Transform Teacher-Student Relationships and Achieve Equity in School Discipline Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, vol 26, 2016, issue 4: Restorative Justice, p. 325-353.

• Researchers in New Jersey who focus on equity in school discipline systems found that classrooms that have implemented RP are less likely to issue discipline referrals for Latinx and African American students
• Found that minority students in classrooms that had implemented RP felt more respected and had more positive relationships with their teachers than in classrooms which did not implement RP.

Joie D. Acosta, Matthew Chinman, Patricia Ebener, Andrea Phillips, Lea Xenakis & Patrick S. Malone (2016) A Cluster-Randomized Trial of Restorative Practices: An Illustration to Spur High-Quality Research and Evaluation, Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 26:4, 413-430, DOI: 10.1080/10474412.2016.1217488

• A five-year randomized controlled trial in 14 middle schools in Maine

Further Reading (books)

Circle in the Square by Nancy Riestenberg

• This book is full of examples from Riestenberg's work in Minnesota schools. She discusses the basis for implementing RP in schools, the logistics of how schools can effectively start using RP, and gives colorful anecdotes from her work. It's chock full of information but still an easy read.

Circle Forward by Carolyn Boyes-Watson and Kay Pranis

• In the foreword, Nancy Riestenberg describes Circle Forward "like a good cookbook." That is exactly what it is -- a detailed guide for how to implement RP in schools with tons of "recipes" for Circles. There are drafts of Circles in all three tiers that you can make your own. It is an incredibly helpful book for any educator looking to run Circles.