News & Announcements
The first days of school are all about setting the tone. Students are uncertain in a new environment, and educators are hoping to create a space where everyone feels safe, respected, and eager to learn. Restorative practices proactively begin to close that gap, building positive interactions from the moment students enter a classroom. A quick circle from Start to Circle can help classrooms connect right away, while showing students that their voices truly matter.
Bringing restorative practices and healing to youth impacted by trauma.
Anders is a current IIRP student pursuing his Master of Science in Restorative Practices with a specialization in Education and his graduate certificate in Relational Facilitation for Healing Trauma. He serves as an educational specialist for a camp-based program at a Juvenile Rehabilitation Center. This restorative-based program was built to provide the tools needed for youth to successfully reintegrate into society and participate as leaders in their communities.
Seeking growth for, and with, her students.
Jodi is a current IIRP student pursuing her Master of Science in Restorative Practices with a specialization in Education. She is a 2nd-grade teacher at a Title I school in the Finger Lakes Region of upstate New York. Her passion for continued personal growth—to the benefit of her students and their growth journeys—is what inspired her to seek an education in restorative practices. She is deeply committed to being a light in the classroom and a supporter of the expanded implementation of restorative practices throughout her own school community and districts across the US.
Using restorative practices to foster accountability and transform the disciplinary process with students.
Janet is a current IIRP student pursuing her Master of Science in Restorative Practices. She serves as a resource teacher for grades 7–12 at Lloyd P. Hance Community School in Lake County, California. In this role, she instructs and supports students to develop feelings of self-worth, attain self-discipline, and accept personal responsibility in decision-making; to become productive members of the community; and to improve academic skills.
Ensuring that all students feel included, heard, and reflected through restorative literacy comprehension.
In her book, Restorative Literacies: Creating a Community of Care in Schools, Deborah L. Wolter merges multiple literacies with cognitive and metacognitive processes of reading proficiency, fluency, comprehension, and writing effectiveness. With 30 years of experience in education, Deborah walks the reader through inspired, restorative actions that will strengthen students’ understanding of core literary concepts. Educators learn how to incorporate individual students’ stories so they experience racially, culturally, linguistically, and economically responsive instruction in multiple forms of literacies. Restorative Literacies shows us how to build and strengthen positive relationships between readers’ backgrounds and perspectives; their variable skills, proficiencies, and fluencies; the multiple texts they encounter; and the authors of such texts. Deborah invites readers to find peace in the messiness of creation, understanding, and literacy, transforming the classroom into a space where creative interpretation thrives and students find value in the text and amongst themselves.
Unlock the power of meaningful conversations with the students and children in your life using the Restorative Questions. Not only are they extremely useful in resolving conflicts, but these questions elevate everyday moments into opportunities for connection and growth. Whether in the classroom, at home, or on the go, restorative practices foster understanding and strengthen relationships. Discover how these simple yet profound questions can enrich your interactions and empower young minds.
Your Guide to Better, Stronger, Faster Workplaces
Conflict is inevitable, but addressing it properly can create an opportunity to strengthen the effectiveness of any team.
IIRP graduate-to-author, Jen Williams, provides us the keys needed to support youths in building their skills in conflict management, emotional regulation, and interpersonal accountability with ease and creativity.
Jen Williams has had a seasoned career in education as a counselor, consultant, and professional development instructor supporting educators across the country. With the publishing of Peacekeepers, she adds author to her list of accomplishments. Inspired by her time as a middle school counselor, Peacekeepers: An Implementation Manual for Empowering Youth Using Restorative Practices focuses on youths and looks at them as the experts in their own story. This workbook is a grab-and-go for those working with young people, featuring implementation plans and skills that can be applied immediately. The text positions young people as part of the solution, mediators of their own feelings and actions. It provides tools to empower and encourage them to resolve conflict by facilitating restorative justice conferences. Youth are guided into becoming Peacekeepers, those who have skills in navigating peer-to-peer conflict and upholding a culture of accountability and belonging. QR codes provide convenient access to cited articles, assessments, evaluations, and organizational tools. The approaches discussed in the workbook can be used in any education setting, faith-based organization, or youth-centered initiative. Jen joins us to answer some questions about the creation, use, and future of Peacekeepers.
Classroom management approaches that support school connectedness have numerous positive outcomes for students. Recent studies show that youth who feel connected to their schools are more likely to have higher test scores, attendance records, and graduation rates, and make healthier decisions. They are less likely to experience poor mental health and engage in violence.
IIRP Lecturer Kiyaana Cox Jones, M.S., provides a few easy steps you can use to quickly and effectively boost the feeling of connectedness for your students:
From congregations to classrooms, working toward integrating restorative practices across the community.
Pam Duncan is a current IIRP student pursuing her Master of Science in Restorative Practices. She has been working to bring restorative practices to her community through a local congregation network. Through collaboration between a faith-based organization and her local school district, Pam is supporting the integration of restorative practices across the school district to combat the disproportionality of discipline among black and brown student populations.
Restorative Works Year in Review 2025 (PDF)
All our donors are acknowledged annually in Restorative Works.