
Today’s school districts face many challenges: from teacher shortages to shrinking budgets. Teachers and administrators must adhere to federal and state standards, keep up with ever-increasing paperwork, and most importantly, foster and maintain meaningful, positive relationships with students. Educators are also mandated to take a different approach to discipline, replacing punitive measures and suspension with restorative justice. While Restorative Practices might seem like another box to be checked, these methods have a profound, healing effect on the entire school community, reducing negative behaviors so that education, not behavior management, focuses on the classroom.