Desperately Seeking: Culturally Relevant Ideas and Innovation in Education
This article discusses Startup Weekend Education in Providence (SWeduPVD), a design event hosted by the Highlander Institute in collaboration with 4.0 schools. Weekend hackathon events have become a popular way for educators, designers, and others to come together to address issues in education. Teams work together to propose a startup organization or product to address… Read More ›
Putting Students at the Center: Research Shows Student-Centered Approaches Result in Achievement and Engagement
This article, written by President and CEO of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation (NMEF), Nicholas C. Donohue, discusses the positive impact of student-centered learning practices on the achievement gap. He reviews several studies of school programs that show students in learner-centered classrooms outperform their peers in more traditional school settings; with the highest gains occurring… Read More ›
Do Teacher Expectations Matter?
In this discussion paper, researchers from the Brookings Institute examine the causal impact of teacher expectations on student outcomes. The study looked at nationally representative data of 6,000 tenth grade students in 2002 and their educational attainment data as of 2012. This data shows that teacher expectations do have an impact on the level of… Read More ›
Personalized Learning, Maine Style
This article in Education Leadership discusses Maine’s move to proficiency-based graduation requirements and the consequent move to increase personalized learning across the state. Mary Bellavance, President of Maine ASCD, and elementary instructional strategist in district RSU #57 in Waterboro, shares the story of her district’s approach to roll out personalized learning approaches with buy-in from… Read More ›
College, Career & Technology Academy Toolkit
This toolkit was designed as a resource for practitioners seeking to prepare off-track, out-of-school youth for postsecondary success. Located in the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District, Texas, CCTA is a dropout recovery school where young people experience themselves as college students rather than high school dropouts. Students take a specific set of courses designed to… Read More ›
International Institute for Restorative Practices and SaferSanerSchools
The International Institute for Restorative Practices is a graduate school that offers professional development opportunities and resources related to restorative practices. They offer a variety of symposia and conferences for graduate and continuing education credit, as well as free webinars. They also feature online learning communities and newsletters, including SaferSanerSchools News, which focuses on restorative… Read More ›
Restorative Justice in U.S. Schools: Summary Findings from Interviews with Experts
This report provides an overview of the rise and reasons for the use of restorative justice in schools and a summary of practices currently being used. It also explores the successes and challenges of these practices. The report includes a list of related, relevant reports/research on the topic. Of note are “Restorative Justice in U.S.… Read More ›
Center for Restorative Justice and the Institute for Restorative Schools
This website offers programming in restorative practices for all members of the school community – teachers, administrators, support staff, SROs, parents, and students – to assist schools in the development, implementation, and evaluation of school-based restorative practices. The Institute for Restorative Schools is based at the Center for Restorative Justice at Suffolk University in Boston, MA. Source… Read More ›
Social Emotional Learning in High School: How Three Urban High Schools Engage, Educate, and Empower Youth
This research series from the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education documents practices at three small urban high schools that effectively leverage a systemic school-wide focus on social and emotional learning to educate and empower their students. These schools work to educate the “whole child” by building their ability to know themselves, grow and… Read More ›
‘Restorative Justice’ A New Approach to Discipline at School
This radio report is the second of a two-part series on restorative justice, aired on NPR’s All Things Considered radio program. The reporter sits in on a harm circle held after a fight at an Oakland, California, middle school. The report features the voices of students, parents, and educators participating in the circle and gives… Read More ›
Implementing Restorative Justice: A Guide for Schools
This guide was created by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority for schools in the state of Illinois. It was designed to help school staff understand restorative practices, reduce the need for involvement of the juvenile justice system in school discipline, and create and maintain positive school-wide communities. The guide provides an excellent overview of… Read More ›
Teaching Restorative Practices with Classroom Circles
This guide was produced by the San Francisco Unified School District’s Student, Family, and Community Department, which works to achieve the district goals of Access and Equity, Student Achievement, and Accountability. This accessible guide provides an excellent overview of the restorative practice of classroom circles. It lays out in detail how to implement a variety… Read More ›