Madison schools starting to embrace 'restorative justice' for problem behavior

Pat Schneider:

The Madison School District is betting that restorative justice practices -- giving people in conflict the opportunity to hear each other's side of the story in an attempt to heal a rift -- are a powerful tool in making schools safer, more productive places.

Following a two-year pilot project at La Follette High School and Black Hawk and Sennett middle schools, the district has entered into an agreement with the YWCA Madison to extend the program to East High School as well as Sherman, O'Keeffe, and Whitehorse middle schools.

The school district has allocated $164,420 for payment to YWCA, which trains staff and helps run restorative practice circles, and made restorative practices part of its plan to close the achievement gap between students of color and white students.

To hear the students at Sennett Middle School tell it, restorative practices hold a lot of potential for helping students do better in school and for building more positive relationships.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at January 4, 2013 2:48 AM
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