First Presenter's Institution

Griffin-Spalding County Schools

First Presenter's Brief Biography

Eleajah McElroy earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics concentration in Statistics from Georgia State University (GSU). She completed a Master’s in Secondary Education and Educational Specialist in Curriculum and Instruction. She is currently a doctoral candidate at Kennesaw State University for Educational Leadership for Learning. She also has a Coaching Endorsement, Gifted Endorsement, Student Support Team (SST) Coordinator Endorsement, and Educational Leadership Certification (GSU). Before her current role as Mental Health and Positive Student Supports Coordinator, Eleajah McElroy served as a preschool teacher, a middle grades teacher (mathematics and social studies), a district-level Curriculum and Instruction Specialist, and a K-12 Mathematics Coordinator, and MTSS Coordinator.

Second Presenter's Institution

Griffin-Spalding County Schools

Second Presenter’s Email Address

kainita.taylor@gscs.org

Second Presenter's Brief Biography

Kainita Taylor has over 25 years of experience across various settings, including outpatient and inpatient care, crisis intervention, psychiatric facilities, and educational systems. Kainita Taylor received her undergraduate degree in Sociology/Psychology and her Master of Counseling/Psychology degree from the University of West Alabama. She currently serves as a school district Mental Health Clinician; previously, she served as a district Climate Specialist.

Third Presenter's Institution

Griffin-Spalding County Schools

Third Presenter’s Email Address

cassandra.crawford@gscs.org

Third Presenter's Brief Biography

Cassandra Crawford serves as a Mental Health Clinician. She has over 25 years of experience in the mental health field. Cassandra Crawford earned her Bachelor's degree in Mental Health and Human Services from Georgia State University and a Master's in Guidance Counseling from Cambridge College. Cassandra promotes mental wellness for all.

Document Type

Individual Presentation

Primary Strand

Restorative Practices

Relevance to Primary Strand

Restorative Practices repairs harm and builds community.

Brief Program Description

Punitive discipline can be harmful to students; this session will allow participants to understand how Restorative Practices (RP) can repair harm and build community. RP fit into a tiered support system by proactively supporting all students and providing targeted and intensive interventions for students with higher levels of need. Participants will also discover how RP can strengthen relationships and help to improve their school climate.

Summary

We will showcase resources to support educators in implementing restorative practices. We will examine the core features of restorative practices (the social discipline window, affective statement, affective questions, circles, impromptu conversations, and conferences). Participants will have the opportunity to experience a restorative circle. The facilitators will provide free resources and strategies to participants to begin using affective statements and questions and incorporate circles. Facilitators will share best practices from their district and show the improvements in discipline outcome data. Participants will also have the opportunity to see how restorative practices align with other initiatives already in place and can be used a preventive framework for undesirable behaviors. Below is the sequence of the presentation Circles, Community, and Relationships Social Discipline Window Affective Statements Affective Questions Impromptu Conversations Circles Conferences Examples Outcome Data

Evidence

Aligned to tiered frameworks (e.g., MTSS, PBIS)

Decline in Office Referral Data

Biographical Sketch

N/A

Learning Objective 1

Participants will be able to examine the core features of restorative practices

Learning Objective 2

Participants will be able to identify the types of circles and how to get started

Learning Objective 3

Participants will be able to understand the benefits of restorative practices for educators and students

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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Restorative Practices: A Continuum of Supports

We will showcase resources to support educators in implementing restorative practices. We will examine the core features of restorative practices (the social discipline window, affective statement, affective questions, circles, impromptu conversations, and conferences). Participants will have the opportunity to experience a restorative circle. The facilitators will provide free resources and strategies to participants to begin using affective statements and questions and incorporate circles. Facilitators will share best practices from their district and show the improvements in discipline outcome data. Participants will also have the opportunity to see how restorative practices align with other initiatives already in place and can be used a preventive framework for undesirable behaviors. Below is the sequence of the presentation Circles, Community, and Relationships Social Discipline Window Affective Statements Affective Questions Impromptu Conversations Circles Conferences Examples Outcome Data