Synergizing Restorative Practices,
PBIS & Traditional Consequences

A school can have all of the frameworks and strategies in the world but the key to the success of any initiative will always be implementation. Having the right plan and team to execute the plan is essential. This training is designed to provide participants with specific guidance and support to help campuses develop an implementation plan specific to the needs of their campus.

This training will provide participants with:

  • how to develop a campus framework that will allow you to incorporate the key elements of Restorative Practices, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) along with traditional consequences to improve the climate and culture of the school.

  • how to define each stakeholders' roles in order to have a successful Restorative Practices initiative

  • how to strategically provide leadership opportunities to all staff members to increase buy-in

  • specific guidance and support to help campuses develop an implementation plan specific to the needs of their campus

  • how to create a restorative practices implementation plan that ensures the fidelity of the initiative as well as creates buy-in with the majority of the campus' stakeholders

WHAT TO EXPECT

FOCUS #1: 3 MOST COMMON APPROACHES TO MANAGING BEHAVIOR IN SCHOOLS
Throughout my tenure in education, it seems like every year there is something new that is supposed to be the answer to the challenging behaviors we face today. The only constant of these initiatives is that they're all flawed. If we're being honest, we also have to admit that they all have some good qualities too. What we've all come to understand is that there is no perfect solution that will solve the behavior challenges we face in schools today. Restorative Practices, Social Emotional Learning and Positive Behaviors Interventions and Supports can all have a positive impact on the climate and culture of your campus. With all initiatives, there will always be deficiencies. One can look to any of these frameworks and determine that they alone will not meet the diverse needs of their campus.

FOCUS #2: DEFINING ROLES FOR A SUCCESSFUL RESTORATIVE PRACTICES INITIATIVE
When implementing any initiative, it's imperative that everyone understands their role. Restorative Practices is no exception but it presents an even greater challenge because most educators struggle with how to integrate Restorative Practices into the traditional structure of a school. Because of this, most people think that you must hire additional staff to even consider implementing Restorative Practices. I think everyone would agree that adding additional staff to support any new initiative is ideal and welcomed. But if you've been in education long enough, you know that you have a better chance of winning the pick three lottery than consistently getting staffing allocation that you need. Therefore, we have to make the best of the staffing we have and that requires being strategic and efficient. In order to be efficient, everyone must understand their roles and buy into the concept that the sum must be greater than the parts.

FOCUS #3: CREATING A RESTORATIVE PRACTICES IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
A school can have all of the frameworks and strategies in the world but the key to the success of any behavior initiative will always be implementation. When it comes to behavior initiatives, there are commonalities from school to school as to why they ended up failing. If you want to give yourself a chance at being successful in the future, you need to start with looking at your past. Why were some of your past initiatives successful and why did some your past initiatives fail? This is a question that everyone needs to ponder before they take on what could arguably be the most challenging behavior initiative ever. What makes implementing Restorative Practices so challenging is that you are challenging a mindset that has been in place for over 100 years. To complicate things even more, Restorative Practices has a branding problem. A lot of people believe that Restorative Practices means that you are going to let students do whatever they want with no accountability. Your version of Restorative Practices can and will hold students accountable by synergizing Restorative Practices with traditional consequences. This may be your intention but it needs to be communicated through your implementation plan. Having the right plan and team to execute that plan is essential.