2015 presentation at the Raising the Bar summit. Discussion of the impact of restorative practices on school climate, academic achievement and suspensions.

1. RESTORATIVE PRACTICESRESTORATIVE PRACTICES
Zero ToleranceZero Tolerance
Presented by: Tajae Gaynor
Westchester/Rockland Mediation Center of
CLUSTER
RAISING THE BAR ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
March 12, 2015

2. Workshop Agenda
Zero Tolerance
vs.
Restorative Practices
- 5: Intro
- 15: Zero Tolerance
- 10: What are Restorative Practices?
- 10: Social Discipline Window
- 20: Restorative Practices Continuum
- 10: How could it have been handled?
- 5: Closing

3. What is Zero Tolerance?
In 2006 the American Psychological
Association published an evidentiary review
and recommendations report on the
effectiveness of Zero Tolerance in Schools
Zero tolerance is a philosophy or policy that
mandates the application of predetermined
consequences, most often severe and punitive in
nature, that are intended to be applied
regardless of the apparent severity of the
behavior, mitigating circumstances or situational
context.
Future transgressions can be deterred by
sending a strong message through
punishment that no form of a given
unacceptable behavior will be tolerated under
any circumstance.
What is the central belief of
Zero Tolerance?

4. School suspension appears to predict higher
future rates of misbehavior and suspension for
students who are suspended.
What are the most frequent
methods applied to prevent
future transgression?
- Out of School Suspension
- In School Suspension/detention
- Expulsion
How effective have these methods
been in preventing future
transgressions?
How do these methods impact our
students?
While some students take the opportunity during
suspension or expulsion to self reflect…
most students simply see these consequences as
ineffective and unfair.

5. Controversial applications of Zero
Tolerance
March, 2002, Hurst, Texas. A bread knife was
found in the back of a truck of a high school junior
who had been helping his father take a load of
possessions from his grandmother to Goodwill
the previous weekend. The boy, an honors
student and award-winning swimmer at the
school, was expelled for one year to the Tarrant
County Juvenile Justice Alternative Education
Program. Said the boy’s father, “It’s crushing.
That is for hard-core, violent youth” (Mendoza,
2002).
How else could this situation have been
handled?

6. As reported in the St. Petersburg Times
(“Educational intolerance”, 2001), a 10 year
old girl found a small knife in her lunchbox,
placed there by the mother, for cutting an
apple. She immediately gave the knife to her
teacher, but was expelled from school for
possessing a weapon.
Does the punishment fit the “crime”?
How else could this situation have been
handled?

7. The Denver Post (April 5, 2005, p. F1) reported that
15 students were expelled for a full year for
watching a fight between two other students .
Denver Post reported on an 11 year old charged
with theft for taking a lollipop from a classroom jar
that he mistakenly thought was free. His case spent
14 months passing through the juvenile justice
system.
Does the punishment fit the “crime”?
Does the punishment fit the “crime”?

8. Relevant research in Juvenile Offending has found
extensive evidence of developmental immaturity
(Psycho-Social Immaturity) in adolescents.
Displayed in four areas:
•Poor resistance to peer influence
•Attitude towards and perception of risk
•Future orientation
•Impulse control
Developmental research indicates that certain
characteristics of secondary schools are often
at odds with the developmental challenges of
adolescents.
Which Include:

9. • The need for close peer relationships
• Autonomy
• Support from adults other than one’s
parents
• Identity negotiation
• Academic self-efficacy
Increased reliance on more severe consequences
for student infractions has increased referrals to
the Juvenile Justice Systems for offenses
historically handled by Schools; helping to create
the reality we know to be the:
“School to Prison-Pipeline”
An adverse impact of Zero
Tolerance…

10. What are Restorative
Practices?
Techniques and philosophies that can be applied
in various contexts to support in both proactive
and reactive ways.
The aim of Restorative Practices in Schools is to
develop community and to manage conflicts and
tensions by addressing the incidents, repairing
harm caused and restoring relationships.
Restorative techniques range from informal
(Affective Statements) to formal processes
(Restorative Conferences)
Restorative Practices actively engage students
in constructive processes and makes a clear
distinction between punishment and natural
consequences.

11. Restorative Practices Continuum
Affective Statements
Affective Questions
Small Impromptu Conferences
Group of Circle
Formal Conference
Informal
Formal

12. In 2014 the U.S. Departments of Justice and
Education issued guidelines recommending
that schools revise their discipline policies to
move away from zero tolerance policies,
which exclude large numbers of students
with suspensions and
expulsions, often for minor infractions, and
instead recommended the use of methods
such
as restorative practices.
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/school-discipline/guiding-
principles.pdf
Evidence of Effectiveness

13. Reference List
Costello, B., Wachtel, J., & Wachtel, T. (2009).
The Restorative Practices Handbook: for
Teachers, Disciplinarians and
Administrators. Bethlehem, PA.
International Institute of Restorative Practices
Costello, B., Wachtel, J., & Wachtel, T. (2010).
Restorative Circles in Schools: Building
Communities and Enhancing Learning.
Bethlehem, PA. International Institute of
Restorative Practices
Conoley, Jane.C., Graham, S., Reynolds, Cecil.
R., Sheras, Peter., Skiba, Russell., &
Vasquez, Enedina Garcia. (2006).A report by
the American Psychological Association Zero
Tolerance Task Force. APA Counsel of
Representatives.