Restorative Practices

At Evanston Township High School, we use restorative practices to build community, address conflict, and support students in learning from their actions. This approach focuses on accountability, resolving conflicts, healing relationships, and repair rather than punishment. Our goal is to reduce the number of disciplinary incidents while promoting a positive, equitable school culture. Traditional disciplinary practices focus students’ thinking toward possible negative consequences for themselves, but restorative practices shift students’ thinking toward accountability for the school community.

Finding a balance between restorative justice and traditional discipline practices is a constant process for our school administrators. Deciding when and how to implement discipline measures in schools is an important process that has immediate and long-term implications for students. It is our responsibility to do so in a manner that takes into account the student’s circumstances and wellbeing, and keeps the social and emotional health of our students a deliberate and central focus.  

Understanding Restorative Practices

Restorative Practices are a set of strategies used to build strong relationships, foster community, and address conflict in meaningful ways. At ETHS, we use these practices both proactively and responsively—working to strengthen connections before harm occurs and to repair harm when it does.

The foundation of restorative practices is the belief that everyone in our school community shares responsibility for creating and maintaining a positive environment. When conflict or misconduct happens, the focus shifts from punishing rule-breaking to understanding the harm caused and working toward repair and accountability.

Restorative practices empower students to learn from unacceptable choices, to understand their impact, and to grow personally in their ability to make better decisions and resolve problems.

Why Restorative Practices?

Research shows that an over-reliance on exclusionary discipline—such as suspensions and expulsions—is not only ineffective but also inequitable. These punitive approaches often fail to address the root causes of behavior and disproportionately impact students of color, contributing to the school-to-prison pipeline. They are linked to decreased academic achievement, lower school engagement, and reduced graduation rates. 

Restorative practices can serve as an alternative to traditional disciplinary interventions. Rather than pushing students out, restorative approaches keep them engaged in their school community and support their personal and academic growth.

Punitive	Restorative
The inappropriate behavior is a violation of rules and authority. Justice requires the Deans’ Office to determine blame and impose punishment.	The inappropriate behavior is a violation of people and relationships.  Justice involves those who were harmed, those who caused harm, and school staff in a process to repair the harm.
Focus: What rule has been broken? Who did it? What punishment should they receive?	Focus: Who has been hurt? What are their needs? What must be done to repair the harm, promote healing, and prevent any future harm?
Rationale: Punishment and fear of future punishment will deter future misconduct.	Rationale: Strengthening relationships, understanding the root causes of behavior, and holding students accountable for harm will deter future misconduct.
A punitive discipline structure is inflexible and defined by generalized responses without consideration for relationships between those involved or the circumstances. The severity of each intervention escalates with the intention of punishing students to “teach them a lesson.” It does not address the harm caused or teach new skills.	A restorative discipline structure includes restorative practices at each level. The more severe the harm, the more involved the practice. This requires more time, people, and a robust plan for addressing harm. The structure is specific to the incident and those involved. The focus is on strengthening relationships, addressing the root causes of conflict, and providing students with problem-solving and self-control skills.