Restorative Justice in Education Conference
Date: Tuesday-Wednesday, June 24-25, 2025
Location: Campus Center at 91����Ƶ, 1200 Park Rd, Harrisonburg, Virginia
Cost: $350 for full-program registration. $100 for virtual access.
Online:

For the past decade, the annual Restorative Justice in Education (RJE) Conference at 91����Ƶ has drawn participants from across Virginia, the U.S., and as far away as Canada and South America to learn how to apply the values and concepts of restorative justice in their classrooms and school divisions.����

The gathering has grown in size over those years and expanded in its offerings, but its purpose remains the same: to provide a space where RJE scholars and practitioners, teachers, educators, and 91����Ƶ faculty and staff can connect, learn together, and encourage one another in the work they’re doing.

“It’s all about fostering conversations among practitioners,” said 91����Ƶ Professor Kathy Evans, a member of the conference planning team. “We’ll have classroom teachers who are completely new to restorative justice sitting alongside folks who’ve written books and conducted scholarly research on RJ. Together, we’ll share ideas and explore how we can collaborate to bring about the kind of world we all want to see.”

The 10th annual RJE Conference, held Tuesday and Wednesday, June 24-25, is available to attend in-person and online. All events will be held at 91����Ƶ’s Campus Center. Visit for more information and a conference schedule.

The conference includes a keynote address, breakout sessions, and a welcome reception held at a local vineyard. The event will conclude on June 25 with a closing reflection circle at 3:45 p.m.

Keynote speakers

The theme for this year’s conference is “Language Matters: Exploring the Role of Discourse and Communication in Restorative Justice in Education,” which is drawn from the scholarship of . Her work has been integrated into 91����Ƶ’s Graduate Teacher Education program in RJE.

Keynote speakers Bella Finau-Faumuina and Dwanna Nicole will open the conference with their address, “Stolen Language: Restoring Indigeneity in Restorative Justice Practices” on June 24 at 10 a.m.��Finau-Faumuina is an advocate and educator dedicated to implementing Hawaiian culture, history, and practices into public schools across Hawaii. She is part of the Office of Hawaiian Education, and promotes traditional Hawaiian knowledge as context and content throughout the state’s Department of Education. Nicole is executive director of the Restorative Justice Partnership, where she works within school communities throughout the country to assist in developing strategies to create more positive school climates for students, educators, and families. She also provides training and support in the implementation of restorative justice in schools.��

Their address will touch on the resurgence of cultural practices, including language, land, and restorative justice, within Hawaiian communities, and will highlight how one educator is using restorative justice to heal the cultural trauma that students experience and bring into the classroom.

Noting that restorative justice practices are rooted in Indigenous traditions, Evans said that this year’s theme feels especially timely.��“I’m excited to have them here to set the tone for the conference,” she said. “It’s a powerful opportunity to reflect on how language shapes our efforts to build a more just and equitable world.”

Breakout sessions

Conference sessions will include offerings for newcomers of RJ as well as veterans of the field. Participants can choose between four sessions for each 90-minute block of time. 

One session, led by Tonya Walls, the executive director for Code Switch: Restorative Justice for Girls of Color, will explore the transformative power of language and communication in fostering healing and empowerment for girls of color in educational settings. Another session, titled “Using Language of Competence within Restorative Special Education,” will consider the ways in which ableism gets perpetuated through language.

The language we use to describe our students truly matters, Evans said. “It shows up in the way we refer to our students with special needs,” she explained. “Do we call them students with disabilities? Students with different learning styles? Or students who are neurodivergent? The words we choose shape how we see them and how they see themselves.”

Welcome reception

To kick off the conference, a special gathering at Bluestone Vineyard in Bridgewater, Virginia, on Monday, June 23, at 6 p.m. will offer conference participants, RJE graduates and practitioners, and 91����Ƶ faculty and staff a chance to connect with one another and build relationships. The evening reception promises to include light appetizers, delicious cake and wine, and great company. Participation at the welcome reception is also open to those who aren’t attending the RJE Conference.

Evans said one of the most meaningful compliments she received came from a participant last year who told her the event felt more like a community gathering than a typical conference.

“I love that,” she said. “I love how casual and comfortable it feels. It doesn’t feel formal like a conference. It feels like a bunch of good friends coming together to support and cheer one another on in the work we’re all doing.”

For questions about the RJE Conference, contact cape@emu.edu.

Two researchers have taken the pulse of Mennonite PreK-12 education in the United States. Paul Yoder, a professor in 91����Ƶ’s teacher education program, partnered with colleague Peter Wiens, a professor at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, to survey nearly 400 teachers from Mennonite Council Schools.

The survey asked educators to reflect on their values and practices as educators, to identify reasons for choosing to work in Mennonite schools, and to evaluate their self-confidence in teaching some of the core tenets of Christian education.

Among the results: Educators in Mennonite schools describe the purpose of Mennonite education as teaching peace and pacifism, social justice, love, restorative justice, and service, among other Anabaptist/Mennonite values.

Further, educators generally feel the context of Mennonite education in which they’ve chosen to work supports them in the goals of building a community with students that shares these values.

Finally, the prioritization of these values reflects a strong and fertile context for the implementation of restorative justice in education, specifically as defined by Kathy Evans and Dorothy Vaandering in the Little Book of Restorative Justice in Education: “Restorative justice in education can be defined as facilitating learning communities that nurture the capacity of people to engage with one another and their environment in a manner that supports and respects the inherent dignity and worth of all.”

Yoder and Wiens reported some of their findings in .* 

In February, they will also report findings at the upcoming Feb. 7-9 in a session titled “Igniting Creativity in Teaching: What Research Has To Say.” In April, they will present a paper at the annual conference of the American Education Research Association in San Francisco.  

Both professors were students at Mennonite K-12 and higher education institutions, and bring varied professional education experiences.

Yoder is a graduate of and 91����Ƶ. He taught in Virginia public schools before finishing his doctorate in curriculum and instruction at the University of Virginia.

Wiens graduated from Eastern Mennonite School and Goshen College. He was a teacher and administrator for more than 13 years at K-12 schools, including Penn View Christian School and schools in Taiwan and Niger. He also earned his PhD in curriculum and instruction from the University of Virginia.

*The issue also included articles by Center for Justice and Peacebuilding graduates Katrina Poplett MA ‘19, available behind a paywall, and by Michelle Jackett MA ‘13, in a .

Restorative justice in education can reduce the use of exclusionary discipline, but only if schools do it well, conclude co-authors and professors Kathy Evans, of 91����Ƶ, and Anne Gregory, of Rutgers University.

The policy brief, titled “” was released this week by , a university research center housed at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education. The policy brief was made possible in part by the support of the .����

Evans says their research focus arose in part because many schools are implementing a variety of models of RJE. While this is a positive step, she notes, there’s a large discrepancy in how those models align with the values and assumptions of RJE.

“With all of the mixed findings from some recent national studies, we felt it was important to highlight that some of those mixed findings are the result of ‘mis-implementation models’ that are more about addressing misbehavior and less about creating restorative schools and classrooms,” Evans said. “We believe that while responsive approaches to RJE are important, those won’t be effective without also taking up the proactive approaches.”

Among their recommendations: 

• Schools should adopt principle-based, comprehensive, and equity-oriented RJE;
• RJE be implemented with contextually sensitive, strategic, and long-term plans and practices; and 
• Policymakers and researchers examine change over a minimum of 3-5 years and focus on fidelity of RJE implementation using mixed method designs.

According to an NEPC press release, both researchers view RJE as a comprehensive, whole school approach to shifting school culture in ways that prioritize relational pedagogies, justice and equity, resilience-fostering, and well-being. Each of these elements is important; schools cannot water down the reforms, implementing them in a half-hearted way, and realistically hope to see strong results. Guided by a set of restorative values and principles (such as dignity, respect, accountability, and fairness), RJE practices are proactive and are responsive in nurturing healthy relationships, repairing harm, transforming conflict, and promoting justice and equity.��

The authors present the accumulating evidence that restorative approaches can reduce the use of exclusionary discipline. They describe promising evidence that such approaches can narrow racial disparities in discipline. They also consider some mixed findings related to improving school climate and student development in light of possibly faulty models and misimplementation of RJE.��

Finally, they offer recommendations for comprehensive RJE models and strategic implementation plans to drive more consistently positive outcomes.��

RJE at 91����Ƶ

Evans is associate professor of education at 91����Ƶ, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in educational psychology, special education, and restorative justice in education.��

The university offers a range of degrees in the field of restorative justice, including an MA in Education and graduate certificate focusing specifically on RJE and an MA in Restorative Justice through its globally renowned Center for Justice and Peacebuilding.

Among other professional development offerings, 91����Ƶ hosts an annual summer RJE conference for educators and other practitioners. ��[Join the mailing list and read about the 2019 conference.]

91����Ƶ is also the home of the Zehr Institute for Restorative Justice, where Evans is the K-12 area specialist. She will present a free webinar, “,’ on Jan. 22, 2020, from 4:30-6 p.m EST.��

More on Dr. Kathy Evans

Evans has a PhD in educational psychology and research from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and has focused her teaching and scholarship on ways in which educators participate in creating more just and equitable educational opportunities for all students, including those with disability labels, those who exhibit challenging behavior, and those who are marginalized for a variety of reasons, including race, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

She is the co-author of The Little Book of Restorative Justice in Education and has provided interviews on RJE to The Atlantic and , ��among other news outlets covering its growth.

Evans recently contributed the foreword to  “Creating Restorative Schools: Setting Schools Up to Succeed,”(Living Justice Press, 2018) by Dr. Martha A. Brown and was a consultant to educators and community justice advocates in Elkhart, Indiana.

The first cohort of 12 education professionals from Waynesboro, Staunton and Harrisonburg — teachers, counselors, principals and others — recently completed the requirements for the graduate certificate in RJE.

The certificate’s curriculum overlaps with the university’s master’s degree in restorative justice in education program — the first of its kind in the nation — so that participants can continue their studies if desired. RJE is a growing movement that addresses educational inequities by offering students, teachers, administrators and parents an alternative to punitive discipline and by creating classroom cultures that focus on nurturing healthy relationships, justice, and equity.

Learning more about restorative justice has changed the way that Christina Norment, a counselor at Harrisonburg High School, communicates with students, faculty, and even her family.

“People don’t develop character through listening to a lecture,” said Norment. “We develop character in the context of ongoing, dynamic relationships. RJ practices create the context needed for healthy, productive communication between people, even when they are in conflict.”

This coursework has been “invaluable,” wrote Dr. Lynn Rogers, school psychologist for Staunton City Schools in an email. “The framework, theory, and research supporting RJE were covered, along with opportunities to practice skills in role plays (circles, mediations, restorative circles), develop my own understanding of how RJE could look in my school system, hear how other educators are implementing RJE and the challenges they face, and have difficult conversations in safe places about challenges that face our school systems. In addition, I have learned new ways of ‘looking at situations’ that focus on the values of RJE, such as building relationships, promoting inclusion, practicing good communication and working towards positive conflict transformation.”

The cohort also included:

• Kim Bollinger, special education teacher, Waterman Elementary School, Harrisonburg City Schools;
• Michael Eye, vice principal, Harrisonburg High School;
• Gina Gaines, art teacher at Genesis Alternative Education Program;
• Angela Hankinson, instructional aide, Waynesboro City Schools;
• Jen Morris, principal, Shelburne Middle School, Staunton City Schools
• Lea Murray, science teacher, Kate Collins Middle School, Waynesboro City Schools;
• Victoria Selmer, math teacher, Kate Collins Middle School, Waynesboro City Schools
• David Ward, student assistance counselor, Harrisonburg High School;
• Amy Werner, home-school liaison, Thomas Harrison Middle School, Harrisonburg City Schools.
• Jelisa Wolfe, executive director of student services, Staunton City Schools.

One goal of the graduate certificate program was to create and support “a sustainable model of professional development around restorative justice that more effectively equips educators to be a part of cultural shifts in their schools,” said Professor , who has led the development of the RJE graduate degree and certificate programs. “Too many times, educators are provided with only surface-level training in restorative practices; their understanding is cursory and efforts to initiate RJE practices just don’t work.”

The program’s five courses address essential elements of the application of restorative justice as applied to educational settings: foundations of RJE, restorative discipline, peacebuilding and conflict transformation, facilitating circle processes, and an elective.

The curriculum provides a cohesive and comprehensive foundation of practice and theory, said Evans.

The partnership between 91����Ƶ and local schools and districts is paramount to the implementation of successful RJE initiatives, says Evans. “91����Ƶ’s educational community is attentive to the expressed needs of local districts and nimble enough to bend in ways that address those needs. It has been rewarding to both teach and learn from those educators enrolled in the RJE program.”

The third cohort, which has a waiting list, begins in the fall of 2017.

91����Ƶ also offers an MA in education with a concentration in RJE, as well as an , which provides training in other settings besides education.

How will it change your perspective on your work, your educational community and even your personal life?

Read on to hear reflections from four educators — two counselors, an administrator and a school psychologist among a group of 12�� — who earned a graduate certificate in restorative justice in education at 91����Ƶ.

They took five classes, one a semester and one in the summer, each addressing an essential element of the application of restorative justice as applied to educational settings: foundations of RJE, restorative discipline, peacebuilding and conflict transformation, facilitating circle processes, and an elective.

The result was transformative, say these four educators: a new way of looking at people, at the educational community, at the value of conflict, what it teaches us and our students, and ways to work towards positive transformation.

***

On meaningful professional development curriculum

Dr. Lynn Rogers, school psychologist, Staunton City Schools

This coursework has been invaluable. It not only included the framework, theory and research supporting RJE, but also included the opportunity to

• practice the skills in role plays (circles, mediations, restorative circles),
• develop my own understanding of how RJE could look in my school system,
• hear how other educators are implementing RJE and the challenges they face,
• have difficult conversations in safe places about challenges that face our school systems;
• learn new ways of “looking at situations” that focus on the values of RJE (e.g., relationships, inclusion, communication, conflict transformation).

How learning about RJE impacts one’s professional and personal life

Christina Norment, Harrisonburg High School counselor

What I didn’t realize was how much of RJ is a “lens” through which you look at the world — both professionally and personally.

In this program, we were asked to look at our core assumptions about people and move forward from that place. I found that when I did this, it naturally affected everything that I do. I think that the RJ assumptions are a gracious way of viewing the world. When I use this lens, I am my best self.

As I began to look through this new RJ lens, I began notice differences in how I talk to students about conflict, how I communicate with my co-workers, and how I parent my two sons.

It was helpful to begin to embrace conflict as an inevitable part of life that helps people to grow and improve. When we do this, conflict can actually strengthen relationships in the end. When I come from this perspective, I’m able to help my students manage conflict in a healthy way, rather than shy away from it or push it aside.

Reflecting on meeting needs of at-risk students

Dave Ward, student assistance counselor, Harrisonburg High School

��My work as a counselor is often with the most at-risk students, many of whom have been in trouble with the traditional discipline system. I have seen firsthand the way that suspensions and continuous issues without real intervention can contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline.��I have also worked with people who have been victims, and who have felt like traditional discipline doesn’t meet their needs for healing and reintegration.

The philosophy of restorative justice gives an alternative to traditional discipline in that the needs of the victim are taken into consideration in a meaningful and intentional way, and the person who has harmed has the opportunity to make things right in a meaningful and intentional way.��The approach has really has been refreshing.

Why do we punish students who handle conflict poorly, rather than give them more support to handle it positively?��

Christina Norment

I see student mishandling of conflict as a need for more support rather than an offense that must be punished. I think that my students get the message that I’m much more interested in teaching them than I am in judging them.

The punishing doesn’t work. We wouldn’t punish a student for incorrectly solving a math problem — we would provide more math instruction.

RJE says that it’s no different when it comes to our students trying to solve an interpersonal problem ineffectively. When a conflict arises, one must work with the other person to make it right. No one learns how to resolve conflict any more effectively when they are simply suspended.

We don’t develop character through listening to a lecture on it — we develop character in the context of ongoing, dynamic relationships. RJ practices provide this context in which our students can grow personally, socially and academically.

New RJ-focused approaches to daily challenges

Dr. Jelisa Wolfe, executive director of student services, Staunton City Schools (oversees special education, 504 plans, nurses, guidance, attendance, homebound students, preschool and more)

​ RJ fits in my work in multiple ways. From a school climate lens, RJ “thinking and doing” helps support our staff, students and families in helping build a sense of community, providing a foundation to build trusting, open relationships and to help foster a sense that we can learn from mistakes. It can increase our accountability to one another more authentically.

Something that I have changed is how I run division discipline meetings. I work hard to create a space where all voices are heard, and have started asking the student and family to speak first, rather than asking the student to respond to what the school staff says (which is what I have traditionally done).�� Next steps for this process is to schedule meetings at a time that the teacher(s) involved in the issue are at the table as well.

​ I am a firm believer in RJE: I think that if we can move forward in shifting our mind set towards our obligations towards one another to create and foster healthy, compassionate and accountable relationships with one another, we will create a rock solid foundation for students to learn in safe, supportive environments.��​

​Practical knowledge for political environments

Dr. Lynn Rogers

RJE “competes” with a variety of other initiatives (academic, Virginia Tiered Systems of Supports) so that sometimes it is hard to move forward.�� Luckily, we have talked about even these issues (i.e., challenges with implementation) in our classes so I hope I am well-prepared in many areas as RJE unfolds in our system and community.

Pass it on: building towards more restorative schools

Christina Norment and Dave Ward have become resources for other educators, providing training for the counseling staff and for teachers and other staff. They plan to present on RJ mediation techniques at the 2017 Virginia School Counselor Association Conference. Christina plans to join the district’s mental health coordinator to speak to 91����Ƶ MA in education students in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Jelisa Wolfe has presented to the school board. Sixteen staff attended the two-day Restorative Justice in Education Academy, where Jelisa was a panelist.

Lynn Rogers has conducted several circles with the alternative school faculty to facilitate communication among staff and model/teach the circle process. With fellow cohort member and colleague Gina Gaines, she piloted using circles with alternative school students. Based on these experiences, coursework and the Circle Forward textbook, she has developed a specific curriculum for initiating circles at the school. She has also conducted mediations at the middle and high school, and reached out to a Staunton-area education reform group interested in RJE.

“In a broader sense,” she says, “RJ principles have affected the way I think about supporting students in school.”

“We want our students to understand and be aware of how the criminal justice system works, and be aware of alternatives that exist,” said , peacebuilding and conflict studies professor and Department of Applied Social Science chair.

Rhodes describes the program’s restorative justice perspective as one that “promotes justice as healing, wholeness and reconciliation for all parties touched by crime.” Coursework will introduce students to restorative justice as a growing field of practice that offers alternatives to the traditional criminal justice system.

, a longtime professor of restorative justice at 91����Ƶ, notes that many colleges and universities have begun offering programs in criminal justice as the industry has grown in recent decades.

“Most, however, are taught with a conventional and rather uncritical perspective of criminology that assumes that if crime is violent, then our response must be as well,” Zehr said. “It is both timely and appropriate that a university rooted in an Anabaptist tradition would incorporate the peacebuilding approach represented by restorative justice.”

Rhodes said the program will emphasize the practical applications of restorative justice in the criminal justice system.

“Restorative justice has become kind of a buzzword in Mennonite circles,” she said. “In this program, we’re saying that it’s not only a way of being or a philosophical or ideological commitment. We’re crafting a minor so people can think about restorative justice as being useful in their career path.”

As part of the 18-hour minor, 91����Ƶ will begin offering a new course in criminology, with elective options drawing from various disciplines, including sociology, theology and peacebuilding. The program has been under development for several years, and was motivated in part by increasing interest from prospective students in studying criminal justice.

“The pairing of restorative justice with criminology is reflective of 91����Ƶ’s social justice and Anabaptist faith-based perspective,” said Deirdre Smeltzer, undergraduate academic dean. “The restorative justice emphasis will help students learn theory and practice related to helping offenders acknowledge harm and strive to repair those harms; this is in contrast to the typical punishment-based approach of most criminal justice systems.”

The new undergraduate minor is the latest example of several academic programs 91����Ƶ has created recently in response to growing interest in restorative justice, including a restorative justice in education graduate certificate offered through the master’s in education program and a new , offered by the . In conjunction with the new minor, the university has also just approved an accelerated five-year BA to MA in restorative justice.

“In order for homes—our residence halls— here at 91����Ƶ to become communities, we have to have neighbors,” he says. “We have to ask the question, ‘How are we, together?’ What do we make and create together through our interactions and relationships?”

Swartz has been named to a new position at 91����Ƶ in which he’ll help to grow this vision: as of Jan. 3, he is the campus’s first director of residence life, student accountability and restorative justice — supporting nine employees, approximately 35-40 student employees and the 650 students who live in campus residence halls.

The new role is responsible for “developing and maintaining residential learning communities that provide a safe, secure, and comfortable housing and residence life environment centered around a campus culture sustained by restorative justice practices,” according to , vice president for enrollment and student life.

“This new role more formally embeds the idea of a restorative community into our housing and student accountability functions,” Smucker says. “It is a great example of integration between the research and learnings on the academic side of the community with practice on the student life side. In this way we strive to be an exemplar.”

��91����Ƶ influential in restorative justice field

91����Ƶ is known both nationally and globally for its work in restorative justice. In 2016, 91����Ƶ’s began the in restorative justice in North America. The continues the legacy of Emeritus Professor , widely considered the “grandfather of restorative justice.” Since Zehr and others first developed the concept in 1970s, restorative justice has expanded from criminal justice venues into diverse settings, including university life, as a way of handling situations when harm has been done.

Instead of punitive measures that seek to attribute blame and punishment, restorative justice, commonly referred to as RJ, asks offenders to understand the effect of their actions on others and to take responsibility in a way that meets the needs of the victims. It has been implemented with wide success in K-12 education and higher education environments.

Expertise in restorative justice

Swartz is well-equipped to both implement and educate about restorative practices in a Christian higher education community. In 2014, he earned both a Master of Divinity degree at and a master’s in conflict transformation at the , while serving as a campus ministries intern and restorative justice facilitator and assistant residence director.

He then became the campus’s first restorative justice coordinator, focusing primarily on student support and accountability. Along with providing training, coaching and mediation, he spent a year researching the student conduct response system at 91����Ƶ. The input and data resulted in a 2015 assessment and recommendations. In fall of 2015, he was named assistant director of University Accord. In addition, he has served as an adjunct professor in the , and has also guest lectured in graduate and undergraduate courses in restorative justice.

Swartz’s work with residence life has roots in his personal experience as a resident assistant at Bethel College (Indiana), where he earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. There, Swartz learned that “caring presence is perhaps the most important gift that students can provide each other,” he said. “Most of us really do want to connect deeply with at least one or two people, and student leaders are often well-positioned to make those connections.”

He took that student leadership experience, which he says was “restorative” before he knew what the term meant, into his professional life. Now he works to help other students understand the same principles of care and presence in the residential environment: “balancing support and accountability in order to recognize the harms that happen all around us, name the harms, and then work to empower healing and transformation for the sake of communities that truly care for each other and can offer hope to the world around us.”

Communities, he reiterates, are comprised of “homes and �Ա𾱲�����ǰ���.”

The group, which included five expert practitioners, came together for three days of discussion about restorative justice, an innovative approach that focuses on “repairing the harm of the crime and engaging individuals and community members in the process,” according to Professor , co-director of the Zehr Institute.

Zehr, who was present at the retreat, is known as the “grandfather of restorative justice.” He began as a practitioner and theorist in restorative justice in the late 1970s at the foundational stage of the field and has since led trainings and taught courses around the world.

Agencies from four states —California, Illinois, Massachusetts and Virginia— were represented by executive leadership, who have led or continued to lead implementation of restorative justice practices in their respective jurisdictions. Six other department representatives were slated to attend.

Lieutenant Kurt Boshart, a 28-year veteran officer who leads Harrisonburg Police Department’s , organized the event, in part because he has seen the potential for law enforcement agencies utilizing these practices “to better relate to their communities, greatly impacting procedural justice and legitimacy.”

The goal of the retreat was to build networks, share resources, and gain insight into best practices, challenges and sustainability of restorative justice in law enforcement. Topics of discussion included personnel training, program sustainability, collaboration with faith-based and other community groups, funding and use of restorative justice in crisis situations.

Culture shift required

Participants were in agreement that utilizing restorative justice principles—being proactive, using good communication skills, building relationships and social capital by empowering and including community members — called for a holistic culture shift from “the top down and back up,” from new recruits to administration, said Chief Joe Garza, Reedley (Ca.) Police Department. At the same time, they agreed that many police departments, and individual officers, are already doing this kind of outreach, though perhaps under a different name.

What would be optimal, however, is systemic buy-in and a nationwide professional commitment to this different kind of accountability, they said.

“One model does not fit each and every community,” said Bedford (Mass.) Chief Robert Bongiorno, who partners with 14 other police departments through (C4RJ), a non-profit group that offers facilitated processes for referred cases. [Jennifer Larson Sawin, MA ’04, was C4RJ’s executive director from 2008 to July 2014, and is still involved with the organization as an advisor. She attended the retreat as well.]

The traditional penal system causes irreparable harm to communities, participants said, while restorative justice processes, if done correctly, reduce the frequency and severity of future offences by keeping the offender in the community and involving stakeholders in repairing the damages.

The process is sometimes called “restorative justice diversion,” because the pre-charge referral and subsequent voluntary participation agreement from the offender shifts the case out of the traditional legal system. Youth and adults complete an accountability process that is “much tougher than going to prison,” Bongiorno says. This includes taking responsibility for the harm and taking action to repair the harm. The process allows offenders to stay connected to the community, keep their jobs or continue with schooling, and maintain crucial relationships.

‘Transformative’ experience for police

Several retreat participants reported being initially distrustful of the restorative justice process, only to share transformative experiences when observing the benefits, which include a way of building relationships and trust between police and the people they serve.

“Six years ago, I would have said everyone in this room is crazy, but now I say, ‘Why didn’t we figure this out 25 years ago?” said Garza. He was accompanied by Officer Marc Ediger and former police officer John Swenning, now a restorative justice facilitator with . The three men collaborate as part of an initiative called the .

Though this group of law enforcement professionals is enthusiastic about restorative justice, they often must educate the public and their colleagues about the practices.

If changing minds was a theme, changing hearts certainly wasn’t.

“We don’t become police officers so that we can incarcerate people,” said Vanessa Westley, a 25-year veteran of the Chicago Police Force. Westley is coordinator for , part of the police department’s Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) program.

Boshart said it was clear to him, after spending time with his colleagues, that “we need to do a better job of informing the public who the police really are,” he said. “All of the participants are caring and committed and passionate about working with their communities.”

The Zehr Institute, a program of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at 91����Ƶ, has organized similar retreats for lawyers. A sign of success, Zehr says, is that the event “act as a catalyst for action.”

In this case, participants plan to meet again next year, work towards formalizing their association, actively promote their successful restorative justice programs, and network more broadly among colleagues to share resources and encourage implementation of new programs.

“It’s not about the hamburger,” he said, referencing her refrain during the 1960’s diner sit-ins. “It’s . We’re not just interested in restorative justice as an alternative to school suspensions and to challenge the school-to-prison pipeline. We are working for more socially just and equitable learning environments for all children and we believe that restorative justice has huge potential to help us get there.”

More than 55 educators from five states, including Mississippi, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Texas and Florida, attended the June 27-28 conference. The range of demographics represent the growing interest in paying attention to educational equity – from public, private and charter schools serving elementary through secondary grade levels with diverse student populations in urban, suburban and rural areas.

RJE benefits manifold

“Our goals for this experience were to ask two big questions,” said , director of the at 91����Ƶ and a former superintendent, principal and teacher. “We wanted to discuss how RJE can assist us in addressing the needs of disenfranchised students and students on the fringe, and the challenges of poor attendance, graduation rates, low achievement and discipline concerns. Secondly, we wanted to share how RJE can benefit students, teachers and the overall school culture.”

Professor , lead faculty in 91����Ƶ’s new (starting fall 2018), was pleased with the diverse group and the conference’s potential to spread the ethos of restorative justice. [To read more about Kathy Evans and her interview in The Atlantic about restorative justice, click .]

“I’m thrilled that we have so many people here from different places and sectors who are interested in learning more about restorative justice is a viable option for restoring healthy learning communities,” she said. “Attending this conference doesn’t make anyone an expert, but we hope it will prompt educators to continue their learning. This is about a long-term shift in the way that we do school.”

91����Ƶ deeply rooted in origins of restorative justice

, known as RJ for short, presents an alternative philosophy of justice that addresses the needs of multiple stakeholders, draws from indigenous and faith-based approaches, and challenges structural and interpersonal forms of harm. It’s used in a variety of settings, such as prisons and the justice system. RJ in education, which is also called RJE, has been in school districts to lower suspension rates and to create accountability and community in the schooling environment.

The RJE Academy rotated educators through three foundational workshops about RJ principles and practices, such as the circle process, and peacebuilding.

In her session on RJ principles, Evans touched on building healthy communities, meeting needs, viewing conflict as a learning opportunity, and providing accountability.

“If my rosebush isn’t growing, I don’t blame the rosebush,” she said. “We have to look at the ecological or environmental model… Students behave in certain ways depending on unmet needs. Can we meet some of those needs using restorative justice?”

The peacebuilding session focused in part on building relationships, or “tending, mending and befriending,” as Professor suggested.

Participants also reflected on how their learnings could be applied in their particular setting and heard from educators currently building or creating RJ-oriented models in their particular schools.

“RJE is about a way of approaching life and relationships,” says David Ward, student assistance counselor at Harrisonburg High School. Ward says RJE principles were helpful in adapting anti-bullying curriculum to meet school-specific needs, such as community building and establishing common ground between different student groups.

Other panelists included Aundrea Smiley, a second-grade teacher in Waynesboro City Schools; Allison Eanes, a middle school teacher from Harrisonburg City Schools; , principal at Shelburne Middle School in Staunton; and Jelisa Wolfe, executive director of student services for Staunton City Schools.

A final session offered small-group coaching with session leaders.

Harrisonburg educators implementing RJ

Armstrong and Evans both noted they were especially pleased with presence of the 17 Harrisonburg City Schools educators.

“This ongoing opportunity to partner with our local school district to raise our levels of knowledge and practice locally is really thrilling,” said Evans, who is also working on a with Jackson Public Schools, an area where she has strong ties. “We can really do mutually beneficial work on a local level as partners in moving RJ forward.”

The academy’s format was created, among other purposes, “with the potential to take to any school district in the nation,” Evans says.

Yet to overhear bits of conversation was to immediately be confronted by the difficult and inherent tensions of restorative justice, which emphasizes repairing harms of all those involved.

It’s best to describe those tensions in questions, notes conference organizer , co-director of the : Is it a social movement that encourages whole-systems change or a solidifying field of practice? What does it mean if those facilitating the process operate from a place of white privilege? Where are its efficacious impacts: in creating restorative cities, in transitional justice processes within warring countries, in trauma healing, in prisons?

“I think people were ready to converse in ways they hadn’t had the space to before,” said , a doctoral student and 2010 graduate of the , who worked on the conference’s organization and format.

Themes and challenges

The conference is the second event within a larger three-year project to map the field of restorative justice. In summer 2015, 36 people representing a broad diversity of experiences, practices, backgrounds and identities, at 91����Ƶ to discuss the future of the field. Renowned practitioners joined with an equal proportion bringing diverse and often-unheard perspectives.

Last week’s conference drew an even wider group of approximately 170 participants, all of whom use restorative justice practices in many settings and with many demographics, as evidenced by an incomplete list of programs represented at the conference:

• ;
• ;
• , which focuses on healing historic harms of racism;
• , an acronym for a higher education model of Promoting Restorative Initiatives for Sexual Misconduct;
• , offering alternative-to-incarceration programs for youth ages 18-24 convicted of serious and violent felonies and their victims; and
• restorative city movements, represented by groups from , Harrisonburg and .

Sessions were developed not only around settings where restorative justice principles can be practiced, but also around themes and challenges discussed in the consultation.

Many practitioners, for example, disagree whether restorative justice is a social movement or an emerging social service field. Stauffer, in his keynote address, urged participants “to hold together” this paradox between theory and practice. He also pointed out that “racial justice, identify, power, privilege and diversity will be key themes of social change.”

Building inclusivity and diversity

Pefkaros commented these key themes were ones that conference organizers sought to address in their call for presenters. “One conclusion from last summer’s consultation is that practitioners are often working at the intersections of race, power, privilege and identity, yet many haven’t really addressed those difficult topics,” Pefkaros said. “Those conversations hadn’t happened in any of these broad RJ meeting spaces and folks were expressing a giant question about how to do this work without having those conversations.”

Creating an inclusive and diverse space was also an important goal of the conference, she added. “Far too often conferences and other spaces are only accessible to a privileged few, often white people working in well-funded non-profits and institutions. We offered scholarships and encouraged youth and people of color to be an integral part of this conference.”

Another emphasis was offering engagement opportunities across the learning modalities. Indeed the conference did just that, providing venues for “banker-style” seminars with linear seating arrangements and more organic explorations created by circles processes, storytelling sessions and experiential learning environments.

In process-oriented workshops, tensions sometimes arose, Pefkaros acknowledged. “We almost expected that,” she said. “At the same time as it’s uncomfortable when that happens, these are people who are living and working in those tensions. If it didn’t happen, I’m not sure we would be creating the space we set out to. I’m sure there are those who aren’t completely satisfied with how this conference has gone and there are others who feel like we’ve made some breakthroughs.”

By the end of Thursday’s scheduled sessions, a few “flare-ups” and “hot moments” had occurred. Conference organizers addressed concerns and grievances with the help of peacemaking circles expert , a conference participant. She hosted a three-hour-plus circle late into the evening.

Yet many participants left invigorated by the conversations and the shared vision of creating a more equitable society.

“The conference rocked my world view, challenged me in very deep ways, and above all else gave me hope,” said , associate dean of students and director of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices at James Madison University. “Connecting with peacebuilders from around the world who are open to challenging and learning from each other is energizing. This group is not afraid to address the serious, confrontational, and deep issues that affect our work. I think in this spirit we all know how important this works is and the gravity of the issues facing our world.

“To paraphrase a keynote speaker, we are not willing to accept diluted justice for the sake of harmony. It takes a special group of people to come together, ��in a special way, and in a special place to do that.”

‘I’ll be doing RJ for the rest of my life’

At least one participant had made up his mind about the “RJ as social movement or social practice” question. Marqees “Sky” Banks learned about restorative justice after he had a fight with a fellow student a few years ago at Augustus F. Hawkins High School in South Los Angeles. That’s where , a 91����Ƶ graduate, is restorative justice coordinator.

Since participating in a circle process after an on-campus fight, Banks became a believer in the power of restorative justice principles to change people’s lives, to help them share and show love to others. “It’s about love first, to me,” he said. “I think you have to start with RJ on a more interpersonal level, then it grows into a movement. You live it first.”

Banks, who is contemplating University of Southern California, UC Berkeley and a few other options, has been a counselor at the sponsored by California Conference of Equality and Justice and he loves bringing people together to dialogue and bond and learn to respect each other.

“I don’t need to make it a job,” he says. “I’ll be doing RJ for the rest of my life!”

Jonathan Stith, founding member and national coordinator of the and former director of youth organizing at Empower DC, will give the keynote address. An accomplished facilitator and trainer, he has nearly two decades of experience working with youth and community organizations to address social inequities.

Presenters from 91����Ƶ include , professor of education; Bob Garrity, a mediator and consultant and adjunct faculty member; and , professor of psychology, speaking on “Peacebuilding Education: What Does It Look Like?”

A panel of several teachers and administrators��who are implementing restorative justice practices in area school systems will also share insights. Panel members include David Ward and Allison Eanes from Harrisonburg City Schools, Jennifer Morris and Jelisa Wolfe from Staunton City Schools, and Aundrea Smiley from Waynesboro City Schools. Participants will have opportunities to meet with RJE Academy faculty in “home group” coaching sessions on the second day.

A viewing of the film “,” open to the public, will be offered Monday evening as a collaboration between 91����Ƶ, the Fairfield Center and Harrisonburg Public Schools. Drawing on the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, the 2015 film examines traumatic childhood experiences and how those play out over the course of a year at and around Lincoln Alternative High School in Walla Walla, Washington. It also shows the powerful presence that teachers can have in those situations.

91����Ƶ, which offers a graduate certificate in restorative justice in education, was the first school in the country to offer restorative justice programs within a graduate education program. Attendance for the RJE Academy is limited to the first 140 registrants. Cost is $300. Register here.