Excellence in Education Award given for restorative practices

….The Restorative Practices
Program features conflict-resolution circles as well as student
counseling, mentoring, and staff support. Conflict-resolution circles,
also known as Justice Circles, are formed among groups of students with
a staff member and community leader present. Together, students work
through their problems and offer support to one another. Restorative
Practices in schools actively involve the offender while encouraging
students to solve conflicts in a peaceful, non-violent manner. Students
are equipped with self-motivation, self-discipline, and empathy. In the
long term,Restorative Practices teaches students to exhibit
self-control and to take responsibility for their actions.

During
the 2008-2009 school year, the partnership among the Milwaukee County
District Attorney’s Office, MPS, and the Safe Schools/Healthy Students
Initiative was strengthened. The assistant district attorneys
implementing the program made 409 visits to 19 schools under the
Initiative. Overall, there were 1,031 students who received guidance on
using Restorative Practices to solve personal conflicts. There were 932
staff members and 35 parents from the community trained on how to
implement RestorativePractices in their classrooms and homes.

Tip of the hat to Gretchen Schuldt writing in Blogging MPS. Visit that blog to see the whole article.