Description
Book SynopsisThis book is designed to help you navigate the challenges and joys of building and maintaining a healthy restorative ecosystem in your school, while providing concrete tools and real-world stories to guide you through the process.
Traditional methods of discipline are commonly found to be ineffective, and this book shows how restorative justice can benefit schools in a huge variety of ways, such as decreasing the need for suspensions, increasing academic outcomes, and improving the health of your whole school community.
Written by the founder and the education director of the National Center for Restorative Justice, each and every chapter is packed with expertise on everything from carrying out the stages of a restorative circle to understanding the importance of conflict. The authors pull no punches in showing that this work is not always easy, but their passion for restorative justice shines out of every page, demonstrating just how valuable this approach can be in bringing the absolute best out of your students and school.
Trade ReviewBradford and LeSal have written a solid text that transcends the usual approaches to this work. This book is rich in the "why" balanced with the skills and practices to match. The insights in this book can really jolt our thinking from seeing restorative justice as some gimmick or educational fad to a solid way to transform school culture. The authors' use of narratives and real world stories keep this work trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and deeply personal. This is definitely a text to return to over and over again. -- Joe Brummer, Consultant, Trainer, and author of 'Building a Trauma-Informed Restorative School'
I have long been an appreciator of the National Center for Restorative Justice, so it should come as no surprise that I'm also a fan of this important resource from Nicholas and David. The act of restorative practice is, by design, one of inclusion, and - to its immense credit - this book walks the walk, in ways that everyone can understand, by helping schools adopt new mindsets and restorative justice practices in their own communities. -- Carlos Moreno, Executive Director, Big Picture Learning
