The potential advantages of restorative approaches in the school setting include:

• A safer, more caring environment A more effective teaching and learning environment
• A greater commitment by everyone to taking the time to listen to one another
• A reduction in bullying and other interpersonal conflicts
• A greater awareness of the importance of connectedness to young people. The need to belong and feel valued by peers and significant adults
• Greater emphasis on responses to inappropriate behavior that seek to reconnect, and not further disconnect, young people
• Reductions in fixed term and permanent exclusions
• A greater confidence in the staff team to deal with challenging situations
• An increased belief in the ability of young people to take responsibility for their choices, and more people giving them opportunities to do so.

"What I liked about the Daytime services was how they provided support to students who had additional emotional and behavioral strains, and provided teachings that would support them in the classroom during instructional time. One of our goals is multiple tiered systems of support; in hopes for zero suspensions. And with Higher Ground, we were able to keep identified students from being suspended since they have systems and strategies in place to correct their behavior."

-Yolanda Carter,
PRINCIPAL
New Highland Academy

"Daytime services had a particular group of Tier III kids which provided them with a point person to go to and to connect with. When the students needed somebody more than a teacher there was a genuine bond between Coaches and students on the caseload that the students could trust. I liked how Daytime services are rooted around how to be your best self oppose to the deficit. Higher Ground supported one of our school goals by keeping kids in the classroom. I liked how they pushed in to help them with skills inside the classroom."

-Samantha Keller
PRINCIPAL
Rise Community School 





Restorative Approaches inspired by the philosophy and practices of restorative justice, which puts repairing harm done to relationships and people over and above the need for assigning blame and dispensing punishment.

Key values create an ethos of respect, inclusion, accountability and taking responsibility, commitment to relationships, impartiality, being non-judgmental, collaboration, empowerment and emotional articulacy.

Key skills include active listening, facilitating dialogue and problem-solving, listening to and expressing emotion and empowering others to take ownership of problems. 

Processes and practices include interventions when harm has happened, such as restorative enquiry (aka, in some circumstances, corridor conferences), mediation (aka mini-conferencing), community conferencing (aka group mediation and/or problem-solving community circles). However there are also processes and practices that help to prevent harm and conflict occurring and which build a sense of belonging, safety and social responsibility. These include Circle Time and Restorative Pedagogy (teachers modeling the values and skills and creating opportunities for their development amongst the students whatever the subject being taught).