IFSEL’s Approach to Restorative Practices:
Building Cultures of Connection and Repair

At the heart of every behavior lies a feeling, and beneath that feeling is a need. Restorative Practices help schools shift the focus from symptoms to causes—fostering empathy, dignity, and belonging within school communities. Through our professional development offerings, we equip educators with proactive tools and responsive strategies to strengthen relationships, restore trust, and build communities grounded in shared humanity.

IFSEL has worked with schools world-wide to provide professional development around Restorative Practices, and to support school leaders to implement systems and culture change to make Restorative Practices effective.

What Are Restorative Practices?

IFSEL’s Restorative Practices approach provides a structured framework to:

  • Build community through proactive strategies.
  • Address harm in ways that promote accountability, healing, and reintegration.
  • Cultivate cultures of dignity, belonging, and repair.

By focusing on relationships over rules, these practices empower schools to move from reactive discipline toward preventative and restorative approaches that promote long-term growth and connection.

Proactive Tools

  • School-Wide SEL
  • Rituals and Routines for Belonging
  • Sustained focus on DEIBJ
  • Tier1 Supports

In the Moment Tools

  • Educator Self-Awareness & Management
  • Strategies to Interrupt
  • EmotionCoaching

Reactive Tools

  • Restorative Practices Choice Boards
  • StudentReflections
  • Restorative Conversations
  • Reintegration
  • Community Communication

What Restorative Practices Are (and Are Not):

Restorative Practices Are:

  • Relationship-Centered
  • Collaborative & Inclusive
  • Accountability & Growth-Focused
  • Preventative & Proactive
  • Empathy & Understanding-Driven
  • Reparative & Healing-Focused
  • Flexible & Contextual

Restorative Practices Are Not

  • Rule-Enforcement Focused
  • Top-Down & Authoritative
  • Blame & Punishment-Oriented
  • Reactive & Punitive
  • Judgment & Shame-Oriented
  • Retaliatory or Retributive
  • Rigid & One-Size-Fits-All

Whether your school is looking to introduce Restorative Practices whole-community, or if you’re hoping to refine and improve existing work, please get in touch to learn more about the professional development and consulting that IFSEL offers.

325 Sharon Park Dr., Suite 845
Menlo Park, CA 94025
USA