1.1 Goals

goals for studentsThe primary goals of restorative justice and restorative practices in schools are accountability, safety and the development of social competency (Ashley & Burke, 2009). Restorative practices allow offenders to take accountability and work to repair harm to individuals and the community. They address the underlying issues that lead youth to cause harm, and focus on maintaining a safe community. Within the school, the goals for students and teachers relate to the individual and his or her role.


  • Goals for Students
  1. Students will learn to value and consistently use pro-active, positive ways to build and maintain a respectful classroom community.
  2. Students will develop and improve positive and supportive relationships with peers.
  3. Students will develop an understanding of the principles and vocabulary of restorative practice.
  4. Students will learn how to participate in circle dialogues.
  5. Students will learn to use and respect a talking piece.
  6. Students will learn how to use restorative questions to support conflict resolution.
  7. Students will learn to take responsibility for their actions.
  8. Students will learn to identify who is affected by their behavior and appropriate ways to make things right when harm has been caused.
  9. Students will learn how and when to ask for a restorative circle.
  10. Students will learn to communicate how they are affected by specific situations using affective statements and restorative questions.
  • Goals for Teachers
  1. Teachers will understand the core principles of restorative practices.
  2. Teachers will know how to use restorative practices in situations where traditional punitive discipline strategies were used in the past.
  3. Teachers will know how to implement and lead circle dialogues.
  4. Teachers will know how to effectively transition into and out of “circle time”.
  5. Teachers will have an understanding of the principle of “connection before content” as it relates to restorative circles.
  6. Teachers will know how to build trust among students so they become more willing to effectively communicate with each other.
  7. Teachers will understand restorative questions and know when to use them.
  8. Teachers will know how and when to utilize affective statements, affective questions, small impromptu conferences, circles and formal conferences.

Exercise:

Consider the lists for both teachers and students. Reflect on the discipline issues in your school or from past experiences. Create your own list of your specific goals for restorative practices and save a copy in MS Word (.doc or .docx) format. Using the tool below, upload a copy of your list and share with colleagues in the Course Discussion Forum. This exercise is intended to prompt analysis and reflection and is not graded.

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