Alternative to School Suspension Explored Through Restorative Justice
A restorative justice circle at Edna Brewer Middle School in Oakland, Calif.
(Sam Pasarow/Edna Brewer Middle School)
One by one, in a room just off the gym floor at Edna Brewer Middle School in Oakland, Calif., seventh graders go on the interview hot seat.
Kyle McClerkins grills them on aspects of adolescent life:
“What is the biggest challenge for middle school girls?” he asks. “What has changed about you from sixth grade to now?”
Some 80 students have applied to be “peer leaders” in this school’s new, alternative discipline program.
Called “restorative justice” this school and the Oakland Unified School District are at the forefront of a new approach to school misconduct and discipline. Instead of suspending or expelling students who get into fights or act out, restorative justice seeks to resolve conflicts and build school community through talking and group dialogue.
