Restorative Justice Practices in Schools

In this three-part series, David Yusem instructs on implementing effective Restorative Justice Practices in Schools. David Yusem has over 20 years experience as a leader and practitioner in the field of conflict resolution and restorative justice for over 10 years he's coordinated restorative justice movement at the Oakland Unified School District which is considered a national model for restorative justice implementation.

Participants will learn and understand the origins of restorative justice practices from the indigenous practices to the criminal justice system. Participants will also understand how RJ is applied in a school context, particularly in Oakland Unified School District in Oakland, CA; they will then make meaning of the lessons learned and identify next steps for their unique context. Building into the use of restorative circles/meetings, which is the implementation step of RJ in Schools.

Resources for each part of the series are available immediately following each embedded video. You can also download a copy of the slides for each part by clicking on the button just above each video.

Part 1

This session was presented live on November 4, 2021 at 10am by David Yusem. It has been recorded here in an asynchronous format for your use.

Part 1 Resources (Click to Expand)

OUSD Whole School Implementation Guide

OUSD Peer RJ Implementation Guide

Oakland Unified SD RJ Site

Restorative Justice in Schools: SEL In Action

"The Little book of Race and Restorative Justice" - Fania David

"Circle Forward" - Kay Pranis and Carolyn Boyes Watson

"Colorizing Restorative Justice" - Edward Valandra, editor

"Changing Lenses" & "The Little Book of Restorative Justice" by Howard Zehr

Part 2

This session was presented live on May 19, 2022 at 10am by David Yusem. It has been recorded here in an asynchronous format for your use.

Part 3

This session was presented live on October 6, 2022 at 10am by David Yusem. It has been recorded here in an asynchronous format for your use. Additional resources from this session are included below the video.

Part 4

This session was presented live on January 5, 2023 at 10am by David Yusem. It has been recorded here in an asynchronous format for your use. Additional resources from this session are included below the video.

Recommended Reading:

  • "The Little Book of Race and Restorative Justice" - Fania Davis

  • "Circle Forward" - Kay Pranis and Carolyn Boyes Watson

  • "Colorizing Restorative Justice" - Edward Valandra, editor

  • "Changing Lenses" & "The Little Book of Restorative Justice" - Howard Zehr