For the first time, a study has covered the results of restorative practices implemented large-scale in an education system. And it was a success.
This history happened in Chicago, whose education system went from 49,708 yearly suspensions to 10,000.
Though many were skeptical about the process, students and teachers had changes made not just about them but with them. Zero tolerance was discouraged in favor of strategies like peace circles or students having genuine dialogue with people they harmed.
This already differs from the disempowering criminal "justice" models many of us are used to.
For example, instead of suspending or arresting a student who wrote on a desk, that student was made fully aware of the impact of their actions – a custodian missing his child's event to take hours to clean it up.
The most significant suspension decreases came from schools with coaches, who came a couple of days a week to implement the new restorative practices. Black boys in those schools missed fewer days and even scored higher on tests.
Copaganda tells us we need police, harsh punitive measures, and prisons to tackle school conflict. But the more success we see, the more that argument is weakened.
Chicago's positive results encourage us to rethink how we view discipline and justice. Let's get inspired, and excited about new possibilities for our youth.