What is RP?

National Educators for Restorative Practices define RP as "differentiated relational approaches to building and sustaining relationships and managing student behavior."  When kids misbehave, we have the option of simply punishing them and hoping they learn what we want them to learn from it or we can use these practices to explicitly teach them why their behavior was wrong, the impact it had on others, and their responsibility to make things right. Punishment will always be an option, but RP gives us additional avenues of discipline. Restorative Practices also provide proactive measures that can prevent a lot of discipline problems from happening in the first place. 

Punishment can make students pay a price and may prevent some of them from repeating the behavior out of fear of being punished again. But for some students punishment does not bring about a change in behavior. Restorative practices can, over time, bring about a change of heart and mind and an intrinsic desire to change their behavior because of their investment in the community and improved social and emotional competency. 

Restorative practices provide an avenue for SEL. These social and emotional skills are necessary for healthy relationships and relationships are the foundation of behavior management in the classroom. Fewer behavior problems lead to improved academic outcomes. In addition, these skills provide students with a sense of security that encourages risk-taking and motivation.

Restorative practices are useful and appropriate for all students. It doesn’t matter the age or ability of the students. All students benefit from a culture of respect, inclusivity, and connectedness. When misbehavior does occur, holding students truly accountable for their behavior by expecting them to repair the harm (to the best of their ability) gives consequences for misbehavior relevance and provides the opportunity for redemption and reconciliation.