Getting More Out of Restorative Practice in Schools: Practical Approaches to Improve School Wellbeing and Strengthen Community Engagement

Restorative practice (RP) has been successfully implemented in schools for decades and is primarily associated with improving behaviour and relationships, by changing the culture of problem solving in the school. However, it has huge untapped potential to support initiatives in other areas, and this book provides examples of how RP can enhance the effectiveness of these other practices. Split into three sections, the book first looks at implementation, readiness and evaluation. It then covers integrating RP with, and linking RP into, other issues relevant to schools such as trauma, poverty, and mindfulness, and finally shows how to work well with parents and families. The book gives proven strategies for measuring success and evaluating effectiveness. Overall, it provides insight into a variety of issues RP can help schools with, and addresses them in practical ways to help schools implement restorative practice to its full potential.

Table of Contents:
Foreword from Fania Davis; Contributor Biographies; Introduction - Margaret Thorsborne (Australia), Gillean McCluskey (England) and Nancy Riestenberg (Minnesota, USA); PART I: IMPLEMENTATION; 1. Assessing Readiness for Restorative Practice Implementation - Sue Attrill (Australia), Beverley Turner (Australia) and Margaret Thorsborne; 2. Solving Something Positively - Carol Edgerton (Scotland), Lyndsey Broadfoot (Scotland), Samia Bashir (Scotland) and Sharon Fitzpatrick (Scotland); 3. The Art of Integrating School Climate Initiatives - Kerri Berkowitz (San Francisco, USA); 4. A Tale of Two Districts: Implementation of restorative practices in a large and small district - Cindy Zwicky and Nancy Riestenberg ((Minnesota, USA); 5. Youth Engagement in Restorative Justice - David Yusem (California, USA); 6. Evaluation - the Art of Valuing - Terence Bevington (England); PART 2: ALIGNING APPROACHES AND KNOWLEDGE WITH RESTORATIVE PRACTICE; 7. ToM goes to a Restorative School - Katie Cebula (Scotland) and Gillean McCluskey; 8. Transforming Teaching and Learning through Mindfulness Based Restorative Practices - Annie O'Shaughnessy (Vermont, USA); 9. Positive Education and Restorative Practice: Shared values, goals and practices - Denise Quinlan (New Zealand); 10. Restorative Processes and Trauma Sensitive Schools - Nancy Riestenberg; 11. Restorative Practice as Peace Practice - Terence Bevington and Anna Gregory (England); 12. The Brains Behind the Restoration - Nathan Wallis (New Zealand); 13. Restorative Group Conferencing: Repair Deep Student Disengagement with Education, Prevent the School- to-Prison-Pipeline - Sara Davis and Michael Friedman (Minnesota, USA; 14. Working Restoratively with Parents - Jim McGrath; 15. Te Ara Whanau - Family Solutions. Restorative and collaborative journeys towards family wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand - Julia Hennessy and Nici Nixon (New Zealand); Conclusion: What next? - Nancy Riestenberg, Gillean McCluskey and Margaret Thorsborne

About the Author :
Margaret Thorsborne is the Managing Director of Transformative Justice Australia (Queensland) and Thorsborne and Associates in London, UK, a company committed to improving the way people relate to each other in the workplace, schools and other communities. With Peta Blood, Margaret co-founded Restorative Practices International (RPI), the world's first international membership organization for restorative practitioners. Margaret lives on the Sunshine Coast in Australia.

Review :
This book is a rich combination of analytical reflection, personal storytelling and case studies of how change plays out on the ground. It is a superb resource for anyone wanting to deepen their knowledge of how restorative practices can contribute to personal, institutional and societal transformation. This book is evidence that the field of restorative practices in schools has reached an unprecedented level of sophistication, complexity and maturity. Trainers, consultants, practitioners, researchers, educators, policy makers and school leaders will benefit from the "wisdom of the ages" shared here. A truly extraordinary contribution to the field.