News & Announcements
On Tuesday, March 5 IIRP Director of Community Engagement Henry L. McClendon, Jr. and IIRP Vice President for Partnerships Keith Hickman, M.S. joined host Grover Silcox on PBS39 for a special program: Restorative Practices: Relationships and Community.
Teaching Educators the Path to Community
Jamee Cox is a current IIRP Graduate School student and restorative practices specialist for Fort Worth Independent School District in Fort Worth, Texas. She works in a network of 10 schools, where she trains teachers, administrators, and staff in restorative practices. She also models restorative practices and provides coaching for teachers in classrooms and facilitates circles for Tier 2 and Tier 3 students.
After a nationwide search, Linda J. Kligman, Ph.D. President of the International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP), has selected Michael Valdez Raffanti, Ed.D. as provost for academic affairs.
As Provost, Valdez Raffanti oversees all the IIRP educational offerings from continuing education to graduate-level programs.
Turning Lessons into Practice
Elana Strout is a current IIRP Graduate Student and social studies teacher at Mount Desert Island High School in Bar Harbor, Maine. She has been teaching since 2012 in the areas of world history, sociology, psychology, and abnormal psychology. After learning more about restorative practices, Elana is developing ways to incorporate her lessons into both her personal and professional life.
We at the IIRP Graduate School are proud of our ability to strengthen and preserve relationships. Part of our culture is finding new and unique ways to showcase our staff and faculty’s expertise and accomplishments. With that, we are excited to announce that Dr. Craig W. Adamson is transitioning from provost for the IIRP to the position of senior advisor to the president.
Empowering young minds is crucial for a brighter future, Community Matters, located in Santa Rosa, California, is a non-profit organization committed to ensuring a brighter future for students by fostering safe and supportive school environments worldwide. Erica Vogel, CEO of Community Matters, is dedicated to youth development and community transformation. Her passion for youth development stems from her own experiences of being uplifted by programs similar to those she now champions. Recognizing the profound impact of such initiatives, she has made it her life's mission to connect communities and create positive ripple effects through the power of education.
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The IIRP is proud to introduce six new members to our Board of Trustees in 2023. The IIRP Board of Trustees are holders of the organizational trust and mission. Our trustees bring many different perspectives and experiences from fields such as law, higher education, faith, public education, private foundations, government relations, management, and child welfare, which mirror the numerous arenas where restorative practices are being implemented.
The IIRP Graduate School announces the latest issue in the Presidential Paper Series. A Restorative Practices Strategy to Advance Community Health is written by Dr. Gina Baral Abrams, Associate Professor and Director of Research and Program Evaluation.
In this paper, the evolution of the community health field is traced, leading up to the recent U.S. Surgeon General’s report, Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation. The author suggests that, in addition to the work that has been done to identify key factors and dynamics, it is necessary to focus explicitly on how we strengthen relationships and community. Integrating principles from the social-ecological model, a new model is presented to describe how restorative practices can be used to advance community health goals.
We are living in a world filled with words that divide; some are blatantly inflammatory, while others are far more subtle. What gives hope living amidst wars, disasters, and violence are the people who use words to remind us of our shared humanity. Restorative practitioners choose words that seek nuance, facilitate empathy, articulate common ground, and prompt creative solutions.
The IIRP Graduate School is excited to announce the debut of our Restorative Works! podcast, hosted by Claire de Mézerville López, M.Ed., M.S..
Claire is a licensed psychologist from UCR (Universidad de Costa Rica). She holds a Master in Education with an emphasis on cognitive development from ITESM (Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, México). She also earned a Master of Science in Restorative Practices from the IIRP Graduate School. She is an associate professor at Universidad de Costa Rica, and has experience as a therapist, researcher, and consultant. Claire has published papers on adolescence, restorative practices, resilience and educational psychology.
Restorative Works Year in Review 2025 (PDF)
All our donors are acknowledged annually in Restorative Works.