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Upcoming Event
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New IIRP report — "Improving School Climate: Findings from Schools Implementing Restorative Practices"In this 36-page PDF document, IIRP Director of Research Sharon Lewis presents disciplinary and other data from U.S., Canadian and British schools that have implemented restorative practices. From the preface: "Taken together and 'in their own words,' it is clear that restorative practices is having a positive effect on the lives of many students and is changing the climate of many schools." |
Reduction in school violence due to restorative practices reported on by Fox 29 Philadelphia NewsWTFX Fox 29 Philadelphia News's Steve Keeley reports on the reduction in school violence at West Philadelphia High School (formerly one of the city's most dangerous schools), due to restorative practices, live from an IIRP One-Day Conference in Philadelphia. See clip here. |
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IIRP's 2009 Summer Training Institute will be held July 27–July 31, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USAThe IIRP's Summer Training Institute brings together participants from all over the world for a weeklong immersion in the full range of restorative practices. |
Restorative Practices in DetroitThe Detroit (Michigan) Free Press reports on restorative practices in schools and quotes IIRP president Ted Wachtel. January 5, 2009. Read the article here. |
Restorative Practices in Sonoma County CaliforniaThe Sonoma Valley (California) Sun reports on restorative practices in schools and quotes IIRP president Ted Wachtel. December 30, 2008. Read the article here. |
IIRP on Baltimore TVWBAL TV Baltimore education reporter Tim Tooten reports on the IIRP's One Day Conference for educators, Tuesday, November 18, 2008 in Baltimore. See clip here. |
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Scholastic "Administrator" magazine reports on restorative practicesThe November/December issue of Scholastic Administrator, a major national U.S. education magazine, features an in-depth article on restorative practices in schools. The article quotes IIRP president Ted Wachtel and IIRP director and assistant director of training and consulting, Bob Costello and John Bailie, as well as Richard Hollahan, principal of Newtown (Pennsylvania) Middle School and Russell Gallagher, assistant principal of West Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) High School. It also discusses restorative practices implementation, philosophy and effectiveness. Read the article here. |
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IIRP's 11th World Conference held October 22-24, 2008, in Toronto, Ontario, CanadaThe 11th IIRP World Conference, "Restoring Community in a Disconnected World," was held October 22-24, 2008, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 516 participants from 16 countries attended, including those from 10 Canadian provinces and territories and 17 of the continental United States. This interdisciplinary conference, featuring 120 breakout sessions, provided an international perspective on restorative practices theory and practice in a variety of settings, from education to social welfare to criminal justice. |
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Suspensions drop in Durham (Ontario) public schoolsIIRP Canada director Bruce Schenk is quoted in this article about the dramatic decline in suspensions in Durham public schools, a result of the province's Safe Schools Act and the implementation of restorative practices. Bruce is an adviser to the Durham public school board. |
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10th IIRP conference, November 7-9, 2007, in Budapest, HungaryAbout 350 participants from 18 countries attended the IIRP's 2007 conference in Budapest, Hungary, on November 7-9, 2007. This interdisciplinary conference provided an international perspective on restorative practices theory and practice in a variety of settings, from education to social welfare to criminal justice. |
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Journal Reclaiming Children and Youth Publishes restorative practices issue — August 1, 2007IIRP president and founder Ted Wachtel is guest editor of the summer 2007 issue of Reclaiming Children and Youth, a publication of the Reclaiming Youth Network. The issue, which focuses on restorative practices, includes articles by Ted Wachtel, IIRP professors Beth Rodman and Frida Rundell, communications coordinator Laura Mirsky and many restorative practitioners. Subscribe by June 22 to receive the restorative practices issue as the first issue. If subscribing after that date you must specifically request that issue. |
International Institute for Restorative Practices approved as a graduate school by Pennsylvania Department of EducationOn June 26 the Pennsylvania Secretary of Education signed the Certificate of Authority for the International Institute for Restorative Practices to operate as a graduate degree-granting institution. By this action, the Pennsylvania Department of Education has officially recognized "restorative practices" as a new discipline. The IIRP is the world's first graduate school wholly dedicated to restorative practices. Courses will be offered on weekends to accommodate working adults and those traveling substantial distances. Summer weekday courses will be offered to accommodate teachers' summer break. |
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Over 300 attend IIRP conference in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, October 18-20, 2006More than 300 participants from 17 countries attended the IIRP's 2006 conference in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA, on October 18-20, 2006 (including participants from 8 Canadian provinces and 25 U.S. states, plus Washington, D.C., and Guam). The conference brought together people from a variety of fields and backgrounds, to explore the development of “restorative communities,” where restorative practices are the primary modality for dealing with wrongdoing and conflict. More information, including the conference schedule and papers, here. |
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Nationwide US Publication Reports on Restorative Practices in SchoolsAn article on restorative practices in schools appears in the May 17, 2005, edition of School Board News, published by the National School Boards Association, a nonprofit federation of state associations of school boards that represents about 15,000 local school districts throughout the United States. The report, by Carol Chmelynski, covers restorative initiatives across the US, including PEASE Academy, a school in Minnesota for students recovering from drug and alcohol addiction, a pilot program in six Wisconsin school districts and the IIRP's SaferSanerSchools program. |
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MetroKids Magazine Highlights the IIRP's SaferSanerSchools ProgramThe January 2005 edition of MetroKids Magazine features an article on SaferSanerSchools, the IIRP program implementing restorative practices in schools. The story, by Ann L. Rappoport, Ph.D., includes interviews with school administrators who are excited about the positive effect restorative practices are having on discipline and school culture. In the article, Dr. Francis Barnes, former school district superintendent, now Pennsylvania (U.S.A.) Secretary of Education, commended restorative practices as "a set of practical responses to student behavior and proactive strategies that strengthen accountability and improve school culture." |
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Video "Beyond Zero Tolerance: Restorative Practices in Schools" availableThis engaging 27-minute video, produced in 2002-2003 by the IIRP's SaferSanerSchools program, documents the implementation of restorative practices in a variety of secondary schools in the U.S.A. and the Netherlands. The camera captures circles, conferences and one-on-one meetings in progress. Students, teachers and administrators speak candidly about the effects of restorative practices in their school. The video makes a compelling case for restorative practices in education. |
School using restorative practices featured in New York Times articleThe IIRP, via its SaferSanerSchools program, is providing training and consulting to Community Prep High School, a public school in New York City for young people just out of juvenile detention. Said Mark Ryan, Community Prep principal, "Restorative practices helped Community Prep High School become a safe community, a place where students can make real, meaningful changes in their lives." Community Prep was recently featured in a July 25, 2004 New York Times article. An eForum article about Community Prep and IIRP's collaboration IIRP here. |
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IIRP president discusses restorative practices in schools in interview featured on Education World websiteEducation World, a widely-read, highly-regarded online journal among educators, has published an interview with IIRP president Ted Wachtel. In the interview, Wachtel describes IIRP's SaferSanerSchools program, which is bringing restorative practices to public schools. He also provides an overview of SaferSanerSchools training programs and an explanation of the theory of restorative practices. |
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SaferSanerSchools featured in Philadelphia Inquirer articleThe Philadelphia Inquirer, one of the leading newspapers in the United States, has published an article about the IIRP's SaferSanerSchools program, which is implementing restorative practices in schools. Inquirer education reporter Susan Snyder visited pilot schools in southeastern Pennsylvania, where the SaferSanerSchools program is in effect, interviewing students, teachers and administrators, all of whom seemed to appreciate how restorative practices had helped to improve their schools' climates, creating a more positive culture and substantially improving student behavior. Please see this Letter to the Editor from IIRP President regarding Palisades High School. |
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Innovative alternative schools welcome visitorsCommunity Service Foundation (CSF) and Buxmont Academy offer a visitation program for educators, counselors, probation officers and related professionals at their eight alternative school/day treatment sites in southeastern Pennsylvania. This is a unique opportunity to see a "day in the life" of a school operating on the principles of restorative practices. Read a journalist's view of a day at a CSF Buxmont school here. Email to arrange a visit. |
