Restorative Justice in Schools: K-12
Introduction to Restorative Justice in K-12 Schools
When students act out, what's your first question? Is it, "What punishment fits this behavior?"—or "What happened here, and what do we need to repair?"
Restorative Justice in K–12 schools offers a powerful framework for addressing behavior while also strengthening school culture. Instead of relying solely on consequences, this approach helps educators guide students to take responsibility, reflect on the impact of their actions, and repair harm within the context of a supportive community. The goal isn’t to eliminate accountability, but to make it meaningful.
Too often, Restorative Justice is seen as just a response to misbehavior. But at its best, it’s much more: a set of principles and structured strategies that help build relationships, prevent harm, and keep students connected—even when things go wrong. Schools that implement the Restorative Practices systemically see more than a drop in suspensions. They see stronger relationships, increased staff-student trust, and a culture where students feel like they matter.
At Collaborative School Culture, we help schools operationalize these values by embedding proactive and responsive practices into daily routines, behavior systems, and leadership strategies. It’s not just about having the right tools—it’s about helping your team use them well and sustain them over time.
Definition of Restorative Justice
Restorative Justice in education refers to strategies that address harm and rebuild trust through dialogue, accountability, and community involvement. While it’s often associated with conflict resolution or alternatives to suspension, Restorative Justice is actually just one piece of a larger framework known as Restorative Practices. At Collaborative School Culture, we emphasize that Restorative Practices include both proactive and responsive components, with Restorative Justice making up only about 20% of the full approach. The other 80% focuses on proactively building relationships, fostering trust, and preventing harm in the first place. Schools that focus only on responsive strategies miss the true impact of RP: improving school culture where students and staff feel safe, supported, and seen.
Historical Context in Educational Settings
Restorative Justice has deep roots in Indigenous traditions across the globe, where practices like circle dialogue were used to address harm, maintain harmony, and uphold collective responsibility. In education, these approaches began surfacing in response to exclusionary discipline that often failed to change behavior or support long-term growth. Over time, educators recognized that these relational methods had value not just for responding to conflict, but for proactively building community and strengthening school culture. Today’s Restorative Practices training draws on affect psychology, non-violent communication, and decades of school-based application to provide practical, real-world tools for both preventing and repairing harm, especially when adapted to the unique dynamics of each school.
Importance of Fostering Community Through Restorative Practices
When students feel connected to their school community, they’re more likely to engage, persist through challenges, and take ownership of their behavior. The same is true for staff. Restorative Practices offer a practical, structured way to strengthen that sense of connection, not through one-time programs, but through daily practices like community-building circles, affective statements, and curbside conversations that build trust over time. These moments may seem small, but they help prevent harm and make it easier to repair when harm occurs. Fostering community isn’t a warm-and-fuzzy extra; it’s a necessary condition for effective learning and strong culture. And when systems and staff model these practices consistently, students internalize them too.
The Role of Collaborative School Culture
At Collaborative School Culture, we support schools in moving from theory to implementation. We work alongside educators to collaboratively design systems that embed Restorative Practices into the daily rhythm of school life. From morning circles to re-entry conversations after a removal, from hallway conflicts to staff meetings, our approach is grounded in what actually works in real school environments. We train teachers, leaders, and support staff using hands-on tools, modeled language, and real-life examples to make the practices stick.
Our team has worked in schools. We’ve dealt with dysregulated classrooms, student conflict, and fractured staff culture—and we’ve seen what’s possible when Restorative Practices are implemented with skill and clarity. Whether you're building your foundational knowledge or refining your schoolwide systems, we’ll help you design an approach that’s practical, sustainable, and rooted in connection.
What Is Restorative Justice for Kids?
Restorative Justice for kids isn’t about softening consequences—it’s about teaching skills. It gives children structured ways to build empathy, reflect on how their actions affect others, and practice taking responsibility in developmentally appropriate ways. Instead of focusing solely on what rule was broken, the emphasis shifts to who has been impacted and what needs to happen to make things right.
This approach is powerful across all grade levels—elementary, middle, and high school. At each stage, students are developing the skills they need to navigate relationships, manage conflict, and take responsibility in meaningful ways. Rather than jumping straight to punishment, educators create space for students to pause, reflect, and repair—often through simple tools like affective statements, community-building circles, or quick restorative conversations with a peer or teacher.
With the right coaching and support, these moments of repair become learning opportunities. Restorative Justice at this stage lays the foundation for stronger relationships and a classroom culture built on trust, accountability, and care. Collaborative School Culture helps schools adapt these practices for different ages and developmental stages, ensuring they are practical, respectful, and engaging for young learners.
Understanding Restorative Justice in a School Context
Restorative Justice in schools isn’t a single program or one-time intervention—it’s a framework for how we build, maintain, and repair relationships across the school community. In elementary, middle, and high schools, this looks different depending on developmental needs, but the goals are the same: create space for reflection, teach accountability, and strengthen connections.
In a practical sense, this might mean a peer discussion facilitated by a teacher, a small group circle after a conflict, or a re-entry meeting with a student and staff member after time out of class. These approaches don’t replace traditional consequences—they ensure that students also reflect, express, and take steps to repair.
Schools that embrace this framework create a culture where relationships matter just as much as rules, and where those impacted by harm are given space to speak and heal, not just watch from the sidelines.
The Role of Restorative Practices in Child Development
Restorative Practices aren’t just behavior tools—they’re developmental tools. When implemented well, they build the social-emotional and relational skills kids need to succeed in school and beyond.
From a young age, children learn how to identify and name emotions, understand the impact of their actions, and repair relationships when something goes wrong. These are the building blocks of emotional intelligence and responsible decision-making. Practices like affective statements, restorative questions, and classroom circles help children grow skills like empathy, active listening, and perspective-taking—not through lectures, but through experience.
By the time students reach middle and high school, they’ve had years of guided practice in navigating conflict, communicating needs, and being accountable. That’s what makes Restorative Practices so powerful—not just as a discipline framework, but as a developmental one.
Benefits of Implementing These Practices in Elementary Schools
When implemented in elementary schools, Restorative Practices have been shown to improve relationships, reduce conflict, and build foundational social-emotional skills. In Pittsburgh, a randomized controlled trial conducted by the RAND Corporation found that elementary schools implementing Restorative Practices experienced significant reductions in suspension rates, particularly among African American students, students from low-income families, and female students. Additionally, teachers in these schools reported improvements in overall school climate and classroom management.
In Oakland, California, the implementation of Restorative Justice practices in elementary schools led to a 20 percentage point decrease in student suspensions over a three-year period. Furthermore, 88% of teachers reported that Restorative Practices were helpful in managing difficult student behavior, and over 60% believed these practices contributed to a reduction in suspensions at their schools. These findings underscore the effectiveness of Restorative Practices in fostering a positive school climate and reducing disciplinary disparities in elementary education.
What Are Examples of Restorative Justice Practices in Schools?
Restorative Justice practices in schools offer more than just tools for resolving conflict—they provide a structured way to build stronger communities where trust, empathy, and accountability can flourish. These practices are most effective when embedded into daily routines and used consistently by both staff and students. When integrated into the culture of a school, they reduce the frequency and intensity of conflict and equip students with skills they’ll carry into life beyond the classroom.
Restorative Circles and Their Implementation
Restorative Circles are a foundational strategy used both proactively and responsively. Community-building circles are used regularly to build trust, create shared norms, and open space for meaningful connection, while responsive circles are held after incidents to process what happened and repair harm. Circles follow a structured format—often using a talking piece and circle keeper to ensure each person has an equal opportunity to speak and listen. Schools we work with often start by embedding circles into morning meetings at the elementary level and weekly advisory or SEL periods at the secondary level.
With the guidance of Collaborative School Culture (CSC), schools can tailor these practices to fit within their existing frameworks, ensuring a seamless adoption that supports their unique environment.
Use of Affective Statements
Affective statements are another cornerstone of RJ practices. Teachers and students use these “I feel...” statements to express feelings and emotions in response to someone's behavior, promoting empathy and understanding. This approach helps individuals connect personally to the impact of their actions and supports emotional development. By discussing feelings openly, students learn to articulate their experiences more effectively, leading to deeper understanding and conflict resolution.
Within the classroom, affective statements encourage a culture of transparency and emotional intelligence. Educators using this tool can create a more caring and responsive learning environment. By teaching students to express themselves this way, it becomes a valuable social skill they carry into their future interactions.
Peer Mediation and Conflict Resolution Approaches
Peer mediation programs train students to facilitate conflict resolution among their peers, guided by adult mentors. Students learn active listening, questioning, and consensus-building skills—critical tools not just for resolving conflict, but for developing leadership. When set up effectively, these programs help schools address lower-level conflicts early and build student agency and shared responsibility for the climate in their school.
Collaborative School Culture supports schools by providing comprehensive training for both student mediators and the staff who will mentor them.
Restorative Conferences
Sometimes, harm is more significant—whether it’s a serious conflict between students, a breakdown in trust between student and teacher, or a situation that affects a broader group. Formal Restorative Conferences are structured processes that bring together those involved and those impacted to share what happened, how they were affected, and what needs to happen to make things right. These conferences are especially valuable when reintegrating a student after suspension or removal from class, offering a chance to repair harm and re-establish connection.
What Are the 5 R's of Restorative Practices in Schools?
The 5 R’s—Respect, Responsibility, Relationships, Reintegration, and Repair—are often used as guiding principles when schools begin exploring Restorative Practices. They offer a helpful starting point for understanding the values behind a relational approach. But in practice, these values don’t always translate clearly to daily routines, decision-making, or staff responses to challenging behavior.
Critique and Discussion of the 5 R's
At Collaborative School Culture, we believe schools need more than abstract values. They need structured strategies, clearly defined expectations, and a shared language that guides how staff and students engage, especially in moments of conflict. That’s why we work with school teams to move beyond these general ideals and operationalize Restorative Practices through daily actions and system-wide structures.
When schools aim to center respect, for example, what does that look like during a hallway conflict or in a heated classroom moment? When reintegration is a goal, what are the actual steps that support a student returning to class after suspension, and how are the teacher and student supported to repair and move forward?
Expanding Beyond Traditional Interpretations
Rather than replacing traditional discipline, restorative practices enhance it, ensuring that students not only face appropriate consequences but also have the chance to reflect, make amends, and rebuild trust. It’s not a softer approach. It’s a more complete one, rooted in accountability, empathy, and the belief that students and adults alike thrive in environments where relationships are valued and supported.
What Are 5 Examples of Restorative Justice?
Restorative Justice in schools isn't just about theory—it’s about practical tools and routines that shift how schools build relationships, handle conflict, and maintain community. The most effective implementations don’t treat Restorative Justice as a one-time intervention, but as a regular part of how students and staff engage with each other throughout the day.
Here are five examples that show what this looks like in action:
Restorative Circles in Classrooms
Circles can be used proactively to build community or responsively to address harm. Teachers use them during morning meetings, to discuss academic content, or to process conflict. In one school we support, middle school students asked to hold a circle to talk about group dynamics during a group project gone wrong—an opportunity to rebuild trust rather than just assign blame.
Peer Mediation Programs
Students trained as peer mediators support their classmates in resolving conflicts. This approach not only teaches students the skills of active listening and collaborative problem-solving, it builds a culture of shared accountability. We've seen peer mediation significantly reduce low-level conflicts and help students feel more ownership of the school community.
Affective Statements
These are “I” statements that name how someone’s actions impacted you (e.g., “I felt embarrassed when…” or “I felt grateful when…”). When used consistently by both staff and students, they strengthen communication and reduce power struggles. Teachers report that using affective statements can help de-escalate conflict and model emotionally intelligent language.
Restorative Conferences (Formal Conferences)
In scenarios involving more profound conflict, Restorative Conferences offer a structured method involving victims, offenders, and community representatives to collectively work towards mending the harm done. This practice provides a platform for acknowledging the impact of wrongdoing and collaboratively developing reparative outcomes, which can greatly restore trust and community within schools.
Restorative Justice in Community Service Projects
Some schools incorporate community service as a form of Restorative Justice, where students engage in projects aimed at giving back to the community as a consequence of their actions. This approach not only repairs harm but also builds positive ties within the community, enhancing students’ sense of responsibility and belonging.
Collaborative School Culture is dedicated to guiding schools in tailoring and effectively implementing these practices to ensure long-term success and sustainability.
Challenges and Criticisms of Restorative Justice in Schools
Even when schools believe in the value of Restorative Justice, implementation often falls short. One of the biggest challenges? Treating it as a one-off response rather than a systemwide shift in how we build and repair relationships.
Common Pitfalls in Implementation
One of the most significant hurdles is the incomplete or inconsistent application of Restorative Practices. Schools may not fully integrate RP into their culture, leading to a sporadic application that misses the potential benefits. This often happens due to a lack of a well-defined, collaborative implementation plan or insufficient training. Schools may also face challenges in securing ongoing support from staff and leadership, resulting in a fragmented approach. Comprehensive and continuous training, as well as leadership commitment, are essential to mitigate these issues.
Misconceptions about Restorative Justice
There are various misconceptions about Restorative Justice that can undermine its adoption. Many view it as a ‘soft’ option, mistakenly believing that it is lenient and lacks accountability. In reality, Restorative Justice emphasizes accountability and responsibility, involving those affected to collectively resolve issues. Another misconception is the belief that RP's effectiveness is limited only to student-student conflicts; however, it plays a significant role in improving overall school climate, including staff interactions. Educating stakeholders about the principles and benefits of RP can help dispel these myths.
Strategies to Overcome These Challenges
Effective implementation takes more than a PD session—it requires a clear plan, strong leadership, and consistent support. One key strategy is using Fair Process Decision-Making to engage the voices of those who will be impacted. That means including staff, students, and families early in the process—not just to get buy-in, but to shape how restorative work is introduced, used, and supported. Fair Process involves three steps: engaging people in the decision, explaining the rationale, and clarifying expectations. This approach builds trust, ownership, and consistency, especially when paired with a phased implementation plan.
That’s why at Collaborative School Culture, we support districts in designing Restorative Practices rollouts that align with their behavioral systems, timelines, and needs. We coach school leaders to build in structures for modeling, feedback, and continuous improvement—not just training and hoping for the best. Restorative Practices stick when they are clearly communicated, consistently modeled, and collaboratively refined. That’s how we help schools turn intention into impact.
Importance of Finding Expert-led Restorative Practices Training
Choosing the right training partner is one of the most important decisions a district can make when starting this work. Schools don’t need more theory—they need experienced practitioners who know what it looks like to embed Restorative Practices into real classrooms, real staff cultures, and real systems. The difference between surface-level PD and sustainable implementation often comes down to who’s leading the work.
At Collaborative School Culture, we design training that’s not only practical and engaging, but deeply informed by our team’s years of experience as educators, counselors, and administrators. Our facilitators don’t just teach Restorative Practices; they’ve lived them in school settings just like yours. That means the stories are real, the strategies are tested, and the coaching is grounded in what actually works when you're short on time, managing behavior, and trying to build a positive culture.
Whether you're just getting started or ready to deepen your work, our approach is tailored to your staff, your systems, and your district’s goals.
Benefits of In-Person Training Sessions
In-person training sessions bring a host of benefits to Restorative Practices education. They provide participants the opportunity to engage directly with trainers, ask questions, and practice RP techniques in real-time scenarios. This immediate feedback loop allows educators to refine their skills on the spot, ensuring a higher quality implementation in the school setting. Furthermore, these face-to-face interactions foster a sense of community among participants, much like the community they aim to build in their schools.
How Expert Advice Enhances Training Outcomes
The best training doesn’t just explain a concept—it models it. When Restorative Practices training is led by experienced practitioners who’ve worked in schools, participants immediately feel the difference. They’re learning from someone who understands the pressure of lunch duty, what happens when a student refuses to move, or how it feels when adults don’t follow through.
Expert facilitators bring stories, not scripts. They know what works in real classrooms and can coach participants through the nuances: how to handle resistance, how to blend restorative tools with behavioral flowcharts, and how to adjust your tone when a student is escalated.
That depth of experience is especially important during implementation. It’s not enough to hand educators a toolkit—we support them in knowing when and how to use it. Our team knows that fidelity and flexibility must go hand in hand. That’s why our approach includes modeling, coaching, and adapting strategies in real time to meet the needs of each school.
Recommendations for Finding Qualified Trainers
To find qualified trainers, it's beneficial to tap into networks of educators and professionals who have successfully implemented Restorative Practices. This often provides firsthand recommendations that can guide you towards reputable trainers. Collaborative School Culture, for instance, prides itself on offering expert trainers who not only understand the theoretical aspects of RP but also apply them practically in school settings. Their trainers have glowing reviews, ensuring a rich learning experience that resonates well with staff and stakeholders.
Conclusion: Building Lasting Change with Restorative Justice in Schools
Restorative Justice in K–12 schools isn’t just a shift in discipline—it’s a shift in culture. When implemented well, it transforms how students, staff, and families connect, respond to challenges, and build community. It creates schools where relationships are prioritized, conflict becomes a teachable moment, and accountability is shared, not imposed.
At Collaborative School Culture, we specialize in helping schools bring this vision to life. We don’t believe in quick fixes or one-size-fits-all programs. We work with you—collaboratively designing systems, training staff, and supporting leaders to ensure Restorative Practices take root in meaningful and sustainable ways.
If you're ready to move beyond theory and take the first step toward real change, let’s talk. Whether you want to begin with a stakeholder overview, launch a pilot school, or build a district-wide roadmap, we’re here to help. Reach out to Collaborative School Culture to learn more.