Restorative practices is catching on in schools throughout the world, providing a comprehensive framework for a whole-school approach involving entire school communities — staff, students and families — as well as reducing disciplinary problems, suspensions and expulsions.

In the interest of spreading these effective practices to more schools, the IIRP will hold “One-Day Conferences” with the theme, “Restorative Practices: a Unifying Framework for Schools” to introduce the practices in four U.S. regions.

These events provide the opportunity for educators to hear from and talk to administrators who’ve successfully implemented restorative practices in their schools, as well as from IIRP trainer/consultants.

Similar events are on tap for the United Kingdom, hosted by the IIRP U.K. Restorative practices are also spreading throughout Australia’s schools and other institutions, through the auspices of IIRP affiliate Real Justice Australia.
Restorative practices are becoming embedded in schools and other establishments in Canada, as well, facilitated by IIRP Canada.

U.S. One-Day Conferences
• Baltimore, Maryland
www.iirp.org/onedayconferencebalto, in collaboration with Urban Education Services, www.restoreourschools.com, Tonya Featherston, director (also an IIRP licensee and 2006 recipient of a Soros Open Society Fellowship for the Restorative Schools Project). November 18 at the Mount Washington Conference Center.
• Detroit, Michigan
www.iirp.org/onedayconferencedetroit, in collaboration with Henry McClendon, Jr., pastor of Berean Chapel, Detroit; Safe Successful Schools, www.billsower.com, Bill Sower, founder and CEO (also an IIRP licensee); and Nancy Schertzing, restorative justice coordinator of the Lansing, East Lansing, Holt, and Grand Ledge, Michigan, school districts. November 18 at the Doubletree Hotel in Dearborn and November 19 at the Crowne Plaza in Auburn Hills.
• Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
www.iirp.org/onedayconference, home of the IIRP graduate school’s main campus and it’s Training and Consulting Division, November 20 at the Hotel Bethlehem.
• Santa Rosa, California
www.iirp.org/onedayconferencecali, cosponsored by Restorative Resources, restorativeresources.org, Amos Clifford, executive director, and in collaboration with Up Front Programs, www.upfrontprograms.com, Charles Ries, director, December 4 at the Finley Community Center.

The U.K., Australia and Canada
• IIRP U.K.
www.iirp.org/uk, Les Davey, chief executive, is finalizing arrangements for four One-Day Conferences: Walsall - Wednesday 14th January 2009, Leeds - Thursday 22nd January 2009, Bournemouth - Wednesday 28th January 2009, and London - Thursday 5th February 2009.
Plans are also in the works for two Three-Day Spring Intensives (one-day visits to restorative schools, followed by two days of restorative practices training) in the city of Hull, cosponsored by the Hull Centre for Restorative Practices. These Intensives will most likely take place in March and April: one at Collingwood Primary School (www.iirp.org/books_n_videos_info/buildingourcommunity) and one at Endeavour High School.
Hull is in the process of training all professionals who work with children and youth in restorative practices, including those in education, justice and social services, with the goal of becoming a “restorative city.” (An eForum article on this initiative in Hull is coming soon.)
• Real Justice Australia
www.iirp.org/au, Terry O’Connell, director, has been very active in bringing restorative practices to schools (public and private) in most capital cities of Australia, including Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin and Brisbane, as well as many regional locations, in collaboration with Vic and Liz O’Callaghan.
O’Connell said that the focus of the practice has shifted the from behavior management to relationships, good teaching and learning, with teachers, students and parents becoming familiar with restorative language and practice as an integral part of day-to-day culture.
Real Justice Australia is also working extensively with a diverse range of professions and disciplines such as corrections, youth workers, social workers and community workers.
• IIRP Canada
www.iirp.org/canada, Bruce Schenk, director, is co-hosting the IIRP’s 11th World Conference, on October 22-24, 2008, www.iirp.org/on08. Nearly 500 professionals in education, social services, criminal justice and other fields are gathering to share their ccess with restorative practices. Bruce Schenk is leading a panel on restorative practices in Canada’s schools at the conference, with Rusty Hicks, superintendent of education, Kawartha Pine Ridge schools, Helen Fox, superintendent of education, York Region schools, and Lynn Zammit, restorative practices pioneer, Toronto and Waterloo schools.
Bruce has been instrumental in implementing restorative practices as a whole school approach in 98 district schools of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board. Please watch for an eForum on that topic soon.