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Restorative Practices Handbook for Teachers, Disciplinarians and Administrators
The Restorative Practices Handbook is a practical guide for educators interested in implementing restorative practices, an approach that proactively builds positive school communities while dramatically reducing discipline referrals, suspensions and expulsions. The handbook discusses the spectrum of restorative techniques, offers implementation guidelines, explains how and why the processes work, and relates real-world stories of restorative practices in action. Introduction New Thinking, New Practice, New Result; Chapter 1 Restorative Practices in the Classroom; Chapter 2 Restorative Practices and Discipline; Chapter 3 Leadership and School Change
120 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
August 12, 2025
very useful, practical guide on how to facilitate conflict, build restorative practices and create a culture that doesn't shy away from the emotions that arise from conflict. applicable to any industry/group/organization, not just teaching. highly recommend for folks that want to re-frame their ideas on discipline, especially as a supervisor or leader.
July 5, 2018
Required reading for the upcoming Charlotte Mason Institute retreat I’m headed too later this month. The first half of the book was good, but felt like became a bit repetitive and I lost interest. The main take away for me was the idea of circle time for diffusing problems and insight into what others have to contribute. Even though the book is intended for the education system, I think Corporate America would benefit immensely from these practices.
June 28, 2018
Required reading for the upcoming Charlotte Mason Conf. Very meaty. A book to read a little at a time to let you have time in between readings to think about...krb 6/12/18
January 12, 2020
Great ideas for most schools. It’s frustrating that every suggestion in the book magically worked first try. There’s only one page devoted to “when things go badly.” I would like more assistance for these tougher situations, as these are the students I work with daily.
November 13, 2024
This is an essential text and a must-read for educators. In an educational system where academics and social-emotional learning are too often seen as competing priorities, The Restorative Practices Handbook reminds us of the importance of relationships in what we do. The concepts of doing "with" and not doing "to" or "for" transcend the classroom and have far-reaching implications in our relationships with others, as is the idea that decisions are best made and conflicts best resolved by those most directly involved with them.
While data show that punishment and exclusionary discipline are ineffective in leading to lasting positive behavioral change, we need to take more time to invest in alternatives. Restorative Practices offer a powerful alternative. This text does an excellent job of laying out a summary, a plea, and a roadmap for getting started. This includes the importance of building positive relationships, learning the impact of one's behavior to have empathy for those it has affected, learning how to model affective statements, moving beyond "I'm sorry," utilizing restorative circles, and practical leadership steps to lean into building more restorative systems.
While I've received training in circles and Restorative Practices, I had never before read this particular text. I appreciated that this book supports both beginners and more seasoned staff. I'm not an expert, but I'm not a beginner, either. I found this equally helpful as I would had I read this earlier on in my career. The ideas of high control and high support, the nine innate affects (as the basis of our emotions), and the compass of shame were immediately applicable in my work. The reminder of the importance of fair process in leadership was also powerful.
Restorative Practices have been referenced more frequently in alignment with core Positive Behavior Supports and Interventions (PBIS) work, Multi Leveled Systems of Support (MLSS) universals, culture and climate initiatives, alternatives to suspension and expulsion, and various culturally responsive teaching texts. The idea of building positive relationships, building empathy, and explicitly teaching and modeling effective problem-solving and communication skills are common threads in these areas. Owning one's relationship with others is another, avoiding excluding oneself from that important work while focusing on building that with students. I urge anyone looking for a resource to better themselves as educators, individuals, and leaders to consider this book.
While data show that punishment and exclusionary discipline are ineffective in leading to lasting positive behavioral change, we need to take more time to invest in alternatives. Restorative Practices offer a powerful alternative. This text does an excellent job of laying out a summary, a plea, and a roadmap for getting started. This includes the importance of building positive relationships, learning the impact of one's behavior to have empathy for those it has affected, learning how to model affective statements, moving beyond "I'm sorry," utilizing restorative circles, and practical leadership steps to lean into building more restorative systems.
While I've received training in circles and Restorative Practices, I had never before read this particular text. I appreciated that this book supports both beginners and more seasoned staff. I'm not an expert, but I'm not a beginner, either. I found this equally helpful as I would had I read this earlier on in my career. The ideas of high control and high support, the nine innate affects (as the basis of our emotions), and the compass of shame were immediately applicable in my work. The reminder of the importance of fair process in leadership was also powerful.
Restorative Practices have been referenced more frequently in alignment with core Positive Behavior Supports and Interventions (PBIS) work, Multi Leveled Systems of Support (MLSS) universals, culture and climate initiatives, alternatives to suspension and expulsion, and various culturally responsive teaching texts. The idea of building positive relationships, building empathy, and explicitly teaching and modeling effective problem-solving and communication skills are common threads in these areas. Owning one's relationship with others is another, avoiding excluding oneself from that important work while focusing on building that with students. I urge anyone looking for a resource to better themselves as educators, individuals, and leaders to consider this book.
August 11, 2018
This book gives specific strategies for implementing Restorative Practices in schools. The authors describe how RP can be implemented to resolve a variety of classroom discipline issues. All of the examples are from high school, so I am having trouble picturing how this would work with primary-aged children.
May 19, 2017
Read through this book after attending IIRP's two day Intro to Restorative Practices training. It is really easy to read and provides a lot of practical examples of how to implement a variety of restorative practices at a school site. Highly recommended!
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September 7, 2021Another book from my retired teacher friend. This book was a good reminder to involve students who are misbehaving in discussing what is going on when they misbehave, how it might make others feel, and how they can do better.
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November 20, 2021What a great resource after an RP training. I began implementing RP in my classroom last week, and am looking forward to sharing what I’ve learned and what I am seeing in my classroom to my colleagues.
November 27, 2021
This is an excellent resource for school administrators or anyone who deals with discipline and interpersonal conflict of children or adolescents. It's a great tool to use to reframe behavioral incidents and facilitate restorative conferences.
January 4, 2023
This handbook is a thought-provoking and useful guide to a change that is very welcome for schools. If we are lucky, it may help the culture at large to one day come to grips with a whole new way of addressing problematic behavior and fraying social ties.
August 18, 2025
I read a physical copy of this book.
Being a restorative practices trainer, this was a great book to integrate into the training for the practices. Restorative practices are a great way to develop relationships in classrooms.
Being a restorative practices trainer, this was a great book to integrate into the training for the practices. Restorative practices are a great way to develop relationships in classrooms.
November 1, 2016
I have read other books and taken other classes on Restorative Practices. This book is 80% of what you need to know
May 18, 2017
Broad audience and nothing esoteric: Concise, both research and practice based, with explicit ideas, and suggestions of nuances.
August 7, 2017
Concise, easy-to-read explanation of how restorative practices work. This book gave me lots to think about in setting my classroom expectations for the upcoming school year.
November 19, 2018
A very concise and practical resource of tools I can use to implement restorative practices into my own classroom. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and I'm glad it was recommended to me.
April 23, 2019
Extremely helpful concepts.
I'm going to implement these into next year's classes and see what happens!
I'm going to implement these into next year's classes and see what happens!
March 13, 2020
Essential learning, basic book.
July 14, 2020
I want more PD like this. Concise, actionable and with no needless abbreviations!
January 8, 2021
Good introduction to restorative practice in schools.
February 27, 2021
Clear and engaging. A very useful book
April 22, 2021
Such a good read for educators. Really makes you think about things you say when talking to students.
January 21, 2022
Excellent, practical information on restorative practices, especially affective questions & statements and the compass of shame.
March 28, 2022
Basic Information on Restorative Justice and several case studies.
August 3, 2022
Read this for a restorative practice training at work. It is really heavy on anecdotes and not hard evidence, but an easy read.
August 27, 2022
Meaningful connections and building relationships!
October 12, 2024
This book is short, to the point, and useful.... I recommend it for anyone wanting to explore restorative practices for their school
January 4, 2025
Read this first, reading Restorative Circles now. I like these ideas
January 29, 2016
In The Restorative Practices Handbook, authors Bob Costello, Joshua Wachtel, and Ted Wachtel of the International Institute for Restorative Practices begin by describing the 5 components of the Restorative Practices Continuum for educators:
1. Affective Statements
These are expressions of feelings by teachers – either pleasant or unpleasant - that are the result of student behavior. To be effective, they should be specific, and never demeaning. A teacher might respond to bullying by a student with “It makes me sad and angry when I hear your taunting your classmate.”
2. Affective Questions
Affective questions challenge students to reflect on misbehavior and its impact. A teacher could ask a student who misbehaved “who have you affected, and what do you need to do to make things right?”
3. Impromptu Conference
A teacher facilitates a discussion between students in conflict in order to resolve a problem before it escalates.
4. Circles
A teacher facilitates a go-around discussion with students in a class – either as a response to wrongdoing or as a proactive process to establish or reinforce classroom norms. When circles are used to address conflict, perpetrators are invited to take responsibility for their behavior, and victims are empowered to share their feelings and receive communal support.
5. Formal Conferences
There are 2 types:
a. Restorative conferences are formal responses to wrongdoing in which all affected by an
incident come together with a trained facilitator to discuss what happened.
b. Family group decision making is a 3-step process whereby professionals outline a problem or
legal situation, a “community of care” (family) for an offending child develops a written plan,
and the community presents the plan as a restorative solution.
In chapter 2, the authors make a case for using restorative interventions as an alternative to traditional disciplinary measures such as suspension. There case is convincing for a number of reasons:
- Punishment places offending students in a passive position allowing them to avoid taking
responsibility for their actions and not requiring them to either understand or repair the harm
they’ve inflicted;
- Punishment doesn’t help offending students develop empathy and they are likely to re-
offend;
- Punishment alienates and humiliates students at the very time they are most in need of
reintegration and community;
- Punishment stigmatizes offending students as “bad”; and,
- Punishment does little to restore the self-confidence and feelings of security of victimized
students.
In contrast, restorative measures actively engage young people in the process of addressing wrongdoing. Rather than DOING things to students, administrators and teachers do things WITH students.
Through the continuum of restorative practices, administrators and teachers help offending students to understand the harm they have caused and repair the relationships they have compromised. There is nothing soft about this approach – as students are directed to apologize not only through words but also by their actions. (ie. making restitution, performing community service, etc.) Offending students will experience shame as they come to understand the pain they have caused others; however, the end result of the process will be that they are forgiven and can “reclaim their good name and rejoin the school community”. For the victim, there is empathy and a growing confidence that the offending student will no longer be a threat.
The authors conclude with some advice for leaders who wish to implement restorative practices in their schools. First, school leaders must accept that there is a need for change, acknowledging that traditional approaches to discipline have been ineffective. They must then develop and articulate to their staffs a clear vision for restorative approaches. Finally, and most importantly, school leaders must work collaboratively with their staffs and use a balance of pressure and support to effectively bring about change.
1. Affective Statements
These are expressions of feelings by teachers – either pleasant or unpleasant - that are the result of student behavior. To be effective, they should be specific, and never demeaning. A teacher might respond to bullying by a student with “It makes me sad and angry when I hear your taunting your classmate.”
2. Affective Questions
Affective questions challenge students to reflect on misbehavior and its impact. A teacher could ask a student who misbehaved “who have you affected, and what do you need to do to make things right?”
3. Impromptu Conference
A teacher facilitates a discussion between students in conflict in order to resolve a problem before it escalates.
4. Circles
A teacher facilitates a go-around discussion with students in a class – either as a response to wrongdoing or as a proactive process to establish or reinforce classroom norms. When circles are used to address conflict, perpetrators are invited to take responsibility for their behavior, and victims are empowered to share their feelings and receive communal support.
5. Formal Conferences
There are 2 types:
a. Restorative conferences are formal responses to wrongdoing in which all affected by an
incident come together with a trained facilitator to discuss what happened.
b. Family group decision making is a 3-step process whereby professionals outline a problem or
legal situation, a “community of care” (family) for an offending child develops a written plan,
and the community presents the plan as a restorative solution.
In chapter 2, the authors make a case for using restorative interventions as an alternative to traditional disciplinary measures such as suspension. There case is convincing for a number of reasons:
- Punishment places offending students in a passive position allowing them to avoid taking
responsibility for their actions and not requiring them to either understand or repair the harm
they’ve inflicted;
- Punishment doesn’t help offending students develop empathy and they are likely to re-
offend;
- Punishment alienates and humiliates students at the very time they are most in need of
reintegration and community;
- Punishment stigmatizes offending students as “bad”; and,
- Punishment does little to restore the self-confidence and feelings of security of victimized
students.
In contrast, restorative measures actively engage young people in the process of addressing wrongdoing. Rather than DOING things to students, administrators and teachers do things WITH students.
Through the continuum of restorative practices, administrators and teachers help offending students to understand the harm they have caused and repair the relationships they have compromised. There is nothing soft about this approach – as students are directed to apologize not only through words but also by their actions. (ie. making restitution, performing community service, etc.) Offending students will experience shame as they come to understand the pain they have caused others; however, the end result of the process will be that they are forgiven and can “reclaim their good name and rejoin the school community”. For the victim, there is empathy and a growing confidence that the offending student will no longer be a threat.
The authors conclude with some advice for leaders who wish to implement restorative practices in their schools. First, school leaders must accept that there is a need for change, acknowledging that traditional approaches to discipline have been ineffective. They must then develop and articulate to their staffs a clear vision for restorative approaches. Finally, and most importantly, school leaders must work collaboratively with their staffs and use a balance of pressure and support to effectively bring about change.
March 4, 2017
This was a really great introduction to Restorative Practices. The book is laid out well and examples are provided to help understanding. After reading this I believe I have the tools necessary to implement Restorative Practices into my future classroom.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews