Relationships key to transforming school climate

Can creating school environments that center learning as relational result in higher student achievement?

St. Paul Public Schools and the St. Paul Federation of Educators, along with School of Nursing Associate Professor Barb McMorris, PhD, and Medical School Department of Pediatrics Senior Evaluator Kara Beckman, MA, want to answer this question by assessing restorative practices in schools.

Restorative practices are grounded in a mindset, common among indigenous cultures and communities of color, that views individuals as profoundly interconnected and inherently good. Emanating from this mindset are practices that build inclusive relationships between school staff and students, create engaged learning environments, and repair or restore relationships when harm is caused.

During the 2016-2017 school year, St. Paul Public Schools and St. Paul Federation of Educators began to pilot whole school restorative practices in 12 schools. As their partner, McMorris was able to secure 15 months of funding from the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs to begin evaluation of restorative practice activities.

St. Paul Public Schools, McMorris and Beckman were recently awarded a $3.9 million grant from the US Department of Education for five years to support expansion and evaluation of whole school restorative practices. The project will collect implementation and outcomes data in eight new schools while continuing to evaluate outcomes at the original 12 pilot schools.

“This funding provides an opportunity to evaluate the impact of a community-developed innovation that provides experiences and supports to help K-12 students gain key skills critical for their healthy development,” said McMorris.