Administrators' Guide To Implementing Restorative Practices (Denver)

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• FULL REGISTRATION - EARLY BIRD Individual - $375 per person*
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• 1-DAY REGISTRATION - EARLY BIRD Individual - $195 per person*
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* Early Bird Registration Ends Monday, August 23rd at 11:59 pm MDT.

One of the greatest challenges in education is that we approach deep-rooted problems with surface-level thinking which leads to surface-level solutions. It seems like every year there is something new that is supposed to be the answer to the challenging behaviors we face today. The only constant of these initiatives is that they're all flawed. If we're being honest, we also have to admit that they all have some good qualities too. What we've all come to understand is that there is no perfect solution that will solve the behavior challenges we face in schools today.

During this two-day workshop, we work together to delve into these deep-rooted problems with an appropriate depth of thinking which should yield the solutions you need to address the behavior challenges on your campus. We encourage you to join us both days but feel free to only come to the day that fits your schedule and/or interest. Please take a moment to review the descriptions of the days below so you can learn what you should expect from attending each day of the workshop.

​The concept of Restorative Practices in schools is fairly new. There are challenges in the early stages of anything new, and Restorative Practices is no exception. The greatest challenge is refuting the idea that Restorative Practices should replace traditional consequences and punishment should be eliminated. Ideally, this makes sense, but realistically, it cannot work. There will always be a need for traditional consequences in schools because there will always be situations that require us to use strategies such as in-school or out-of-school suspension. The key word to remember here is strategies. Suspension is a strategy, not a solution, and a strategy is derived from an intended goal.

Although Restorative Practices is necessary, it can be just as flawed as traditional consequences if executed in isolation. Restorative Practices focuses on explicitly teaching behavior to students in an effort to change undesired behavior, whereas traditional consequences are used to punish for an inappropriate behavior when we believe students should have known that what they were doing was wrong. Our goal in both instances is accountability, and the path to accountability in schools can be achieved only by making restorative practices and traditional consequences work hand in hand.

If we're being honest, in-school suspension has some benefits. By and large, most students resent being assigned in-school suspension primarily because of the social isolation. Most administrators can corroborate this from firsthand experiences of students pleading for out of school suspension instead of in-school suspension. Many students would prefer to serve their punishment at home rather than being isolated from their peers at school. The greatest flaw of ISS is that you are removing the student from the learning environment and it is relatively impossible to replicate the learning environment you are removing the student from. We convince ourselves that we are still educating these students by providing them with work from their teachers and a staff member in the room, usually a paraprofessional, to "teach" students as needed. In reality, the overuse of ISS serves as a temporary solution that often compounds the underlying problem which eventually creates irreparable harm to the school. We have to find alternatives that extract the benefits of ISS but also compensates where ISS is deficient.

One thing that almost everyone can agree on is parenting today is drastically different than it was years ago. Many educators believe parents of students today are responsible for why we are currently seeing such a widespread of adversarial behavior in schools. You can debate whether we have a parent problem or societal problem in our country but one thing that we do know is that pointing fingers or playing the blame game isn't going to solve this problem. In fact, one could argue that the lack of trust between schools and parents is the primary barrier preventing educators from getting a handle on this problem. Leveraging partnerships with parents is paramount if educators have any hope at finding solutions to the behavior problems in our schools today. This can only be accomplished if we can convince parents to partner with us to work together in the best interest of their child rather than act as their kids' defense attorneys as many parents currently do.

• a Discipline Decision-Making Process that helps ensure decision makers are making thoughtful and thorough decisions when addressing students who need to be held accountable for their behavior.
  

• a framework for creating Highly Effective Accountability that is designed to change the adverse behavior while maintaining the idea of some traditional consequences.

• how in-school suspension can be modified to minimize the amount of time a student is removed from the learning environment by strategically working to change the underlying behaviors

• specific alternatives to in-school suspension that can be effective in minimizing the need for traditional in-school suspension

• how educators can partner with parents in the accountability process to change adverse behavior

• specific interventions that seamlessly allow parents to be a part of the accountability process

A school can have all of the frameworks and strategies in the world but the key to the success of any initiative will always be implementation. Having the right plan and team to execute the plan is essential. This training is designed to provide participants with specific guidance and support to help campuses develop an implementation plan specific to the needs of their campus.

Throughout my tenure in education, it seems like every year there is something new that is supposed to be the answer to the challenging behaviors we face today. The only constant of these initiatives is that they're all flawed. If we're being honest, we also have to admit that they all have some good qualities too. What we've all come to understand is that there is no perfect solution that will solve the behavior challenges we face in schools today. Restorative Practices, Social Emotional Learning and Positive Behaviors Interventions and Supports can all have a positive impact on the climate and culture of your campus. With all initiatives, there will always be deficiencies. One can look to any of these frameworks and determine that they alone will not meet the diverse needs of their campus.

When implementing any initiative, it's imperative that everyone understands their role. Restorative Practices is no exception but it presents an even greater challenge because most educators struggle with how to integrate Restorative Practices into the traditional structure of a school. Because of this, most people think that you must hire additional staff to even consider implementing Restorative Practices. I think everyone would agree that adding additional staff to support any new initiative is ideal and welcomed. But if you've been in education long enough, you know that you have a better chance of winning the pick three lottery than consistently getting staffing allocation that you need. Therefore, we have to make the best of the staffing we have and that requires being strategic and efficient. In order to be efficient, everyone must understand their roles and buy into the concept that the sum must be greater than the parts.

A school can have all of the frameworks and strategies in the world but the key to the success of any behavior initiative will always be implementation. When it comes to behavior initiatives, there are commonalities from school to school as to why they ended up failing. If you want to give yourself a chance at being successful in the future, you need to start with looking at your past. Why were some of your past initiatives successful and why did some your past initiatives fail? This is a question that everyone needs to ponder before they take on what could arguably be the most challenging behavior initiative ever. What makes implementing Restorative Practices so challenging is that you are challenging a mindset that has been in place for over 100 years. To complicate things even more, Restorative Practices has a branding problem. A lot of people believe that Restorative Practices means that you are going to let students do whatever they want with no accountability. Your version of Restorative Practices can and will hold students accountable by synergizing Restorative Practices with traditional consequences. This may be your intention but it needs to be communicated through your implementation plan. Having the right plan and team to execute that plan is essential.

• how to develop a campus framework that will allow you to incorporate the key elements of Restorative Practices, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) along with traditional consequences to improve the climate and culture of the school.
  

• how to define each stakeholders' roles in order to have a successful Restorative Practices initiative

• how to strategically provide leadership opportunities to all staff members to increase buy-in

• specific guidance and support to help campuses develop an implementation plan specific to the needs of their campus

• how to create a restorative practices implementation plan that ensures the fidelity of the initiative as well as creates buy-in with the majority of the campus' stakeholders

KELVIN OLIVER is an Educational Consultant specializing in implementing Restorative Practices in Schools. As a campus administrator he played an instrumental role in the development, implementation, and support of Restorative Practices. Kelvin is credited for creating a Restorative Practices campus-based support model that included weekly professional development and an implementation support team. Since 2007, he has worked in education as a special education teacher, classroom teacher, campus math specialist, district curriculum specialist, assistant principal, campus principal and consultant.

For more information about Kelvin’s work, please visit www.leavingthevillage.com.

What's the cancellation/refund policy for this workshop?

If you are unable to attend and need to request a refund, you must submit your refund request in writing SEVEN (7) DAYS prior to the scheduled date of the workshop. Submit all refund requests to [email protected]. If you submit your refund request within SEVEN (7) DAYS of the workshop, you can be provided with a credit that can be applied to any of our future workshops.

Should I attend if I've already attended an Alternatives To Suspension and/or Guide To Implementing Restorative Practices virtual workshop series?

Almost all of the strategies and concepts presented in the three virtual workshop sessions in both series will be presented again during the in-person workshops. With that said, the in-person workshops provide a greater opportunity to give more context because all of the strategies are presented in a day versus over the course of three 90-minute sessions. The in-person workshops also provide an opportunity for hands-on learning activities that can't be duplicated virtually. The in-person workshop would be beneficial for those who have attended our virtual workshops but would like a refresher with some hands-on learning opportunities.

Is this workshop beneficial for elementary educators?

Our virtual workshops are differentiated to meet the needs of all levels, K-12. With that said, Kelvin Oliver, the presenter, was a PK-6 campus administrator when he implemented Restorative Practices on a campus. His time as a campus administrator is where he developed many of the concepts that are presented during these workshops. While the focus will be on all grade levels, elementary educators will not walk away from this workshop feeling that it didn't apply to them.

Are these workshops only intended for administrators?

No, you don't have to be an administrator to attend these workshops. All educators that attend these workshops will find great benefit in these workshops.

Will I receive any supporting resources if I attend this workshop?

Yes! At the conclusion of the workshop, each registered participant will be mailed one complimentary cheat sheet resource for each day of the workshop they registered to attend. Each Cheat Sheet is strategically designed to support attendees of our workshops when they return back to their campus. If you register multiple participants for both days, you will receive the pair of complimentary cheat sheets for each paid registrant.

When should I expect to receive the supporting resources?

Participants who fulfill payment for their registration prior to the start of their scheduled workshop can expect their complimentary cheat sheets to be shipped to the shipping address provided at registration within two weeks after the conclusion of the workshop they attended. Participants who register using a purchase order as a promise of payment will need to fulfill the purchase order payment before their complimentary cheat sheets are shipped. Once the purchase order payment is fulfilled, participants can expect their complimentary cheat sheets to be shipped within two weeks of receipt of payment.

Will lunch be provided either or both days?

We've allotted one hour and 15-minutes for workshop attendees to have lunch on their own. Because most attendees work on a campus with students, they are rarely afforded the opportunity to go to a restaurant for lunch. Our hope is that each attendee takes advantage of this unique opportunity to enjoy a sit-down lunch like most other working professionals are able to do. Throughout both days, beverages such as coffee, water and hot tea will be available to all participants.

Will I be able to receive CEU hours if I attend this workshop?

Unfortunately, we can't guarantee that you will be able to receive continuing education units if you attend our workshops. We offer our workshops around the country and we are in the process of ensuring our attendees can earn credits in the future.

How can I contact Leaving The Village if I have additional questions?

You can email us at [email protected] or call (301) 789-8407.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Embassy Suites by Hilton Denver Central Park, 4444 Havana Street, Denver, United States