In today’s schools, fostering genuine connection and addressing conflict effectively can feel like an uphill battle. Restorative Practices That Heal School Communities by Mirko Chardin, Pamela Chu-Sheriff, & Edgar Vasquez provides a roadmap to a transformative solution, distilled from the practical experience of educators who have witnessed the profound impact of these approaches firsthand.

In this engaging book, the authors guide readers through the critical self-reflection and collaborative mindset needed to foster a culture of trust and belonging. Introducing restorative practices, the authors reveal a robust framework with an array of thoughtful strategies that can build community around shared values, proactively address conflict, and compassionately repair harm.

Through their compelling personal stories, along with powerful student narratives, the authors reveal education as a dynamic exchange grounded in mentorship, curiosity, and empathy—a space where restorative practices empower students and educators alike to thrive. They explore methods for implementing restorative practices and demonstrate how actively empowering and celebrating student voices—often ignored sources of wisdom—can fundamentally reshape education and our communities.

By weaving restorative practices with Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a revolutionary framework for inclusive education to address the needs of all learners, they show how to create a powerful synergy that ignites healing and fosters authentic engagement throughout your school and beyond.

Restorative Practices That Heal School Communities is available now in paperback ($34.00, 274 pages, 6×9″, ISBN: 9781943085125) and coming soon in EPUB format ($34.00, ISBN: 9781943085132) wherever books are sold.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Part A: A School in Need of Healing
• Part B: Restorative Practices, Indigenous Origins
• Part C: The Power of Student Voice
• Part D: Social-Emotional Learning Through Personal Narratives
• Part E: Change isn’t One-Size-Fits-All
• Part F: Universal Design for Learning and Restorative Practices
• Appendix: The UDL Guidelines 3.0
• Acknowledgments
• Land Acknowledgment
• References
• Index
• About the Authors