Restorative Justice in Education (RJE) Conference

Opening Keynote:  Slowly Turning the Ship, Restorative Justice in Oakland Schools

**Session 1a: Foundations of Restorative Justice in Education
Restorative Justice in Education promotes values and principles that use inclusive, collaborative approaches for supporting students and educators in the community called “School.” This session will examine the ways in which RJE supports the experiences and needs of everyone within the community, and strives to create a relationship-centered space as well as a just and equitable learning environment. 

Dr. Kathy Evans is an Associate Professor of Education at Eastern Mennonite University, where she has helped develop EMU’s graduate program in Restorative Justice in Education (RJE), which supports educators as they create learning environments that promote relational approaches to teaching and learning, justice and equity in schools and classrooms, and transformational approaches to conflict and harm. She is the co-author of The Little Book of Restorative Justice in Education and has published articles and book chapters related to restorative justice and school discipline practices, focusing on the ways in which restorative justice is applied to educational contexts. With a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Research from The University of Tennessee in Knoxville, her teaching and scholarship focus on ways in which educators participate in creating more just and equitable educational opportunities for all students, including those with disability labels, those who exhibit challenging behavior, and those who are marginalized for a variety of reasons, including race, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, and gender identity. 

Aundrea Smiley is a career educator and educational consultant with over 14 years of service in the field, as well as an RJ practitioner. She is a graduate of the Peacebuilding program at EMU, holding a  graduate level certificate in RJE , and is currently a doctoral candidate at Liberty University, where her dissertation research is focused on RJE at the elementary level. She is the owner & founder of a full service literacy center/ consulting firm in Clarksville, VA where she lives with her husband, son and two dogs. 

Session 1b: Talkback Session with David

**Session 2a: Introduction to Circle Processes
In this session you will be introduced to the basics of circle processes and how they can be used in any variety of contexts for a wide range of purposes. We'll discuss inclusion and safety as essential variables to the process, and also explore possibilities of play and fun in facilitation.

Emily Powell is a white, genderqueer (they/them pronouns), justice-seeking, cat-loving, Christo-Pagan academic focusing on queer liberatory pedagogy. They received their Master's in Conflict Transformation at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University and they have spent hundreds of hours facilitating justice-oriented learning spaces in higher ed. Building thoughtful systems of co-learning where individuals can share their wisdom as well as their struggles to grow together is their goal in space facilitation.

Session 2b: The ABC's of RJE-- It's More Than Behavior
This session will cover:
(1) Behavior Specialists and RJE the Intersection
(2) How to Cultivate A Restorative Environment
(3)  Level Up
      (a) student
      (b) teacher
      (c) administration

Isaiah Dottin-Carter is in his fourth year as a Behavior Specialist with Harrisonburg City Public Schools. But before that, he is a husband, a father of five children (4 girls and 1 boy), a son, a brother, an uncle, a cousin, a nephew, a mentor, a teacher, a student, a friend, and more. He is a James Madison University alumni and currently attends Eastern Mennonite University as a graduate student pursuing a master's in Restorative Justice in the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding program. In his downtime, Isaiah focuses on his family and whole health (spiritual, mental, physical, emotional, and social) through loving Jesus and loving others. He likes sports, fun activities, and is developing a new relationship with education and cultivating a desire for reading.

Michelle Edwards is the lead Behavior Specialist for Harrisonburg City Schools.  She has enjoyed her role as Behavior Specialist for Harrisonburg City Public  Schools since 2013. Her passion and commitment for serving people started years ago as an undergraduate and graduate student at George Mason University. In 2018, she earned a Graduate Certificate In Restorative Justice in Education from Eastern Mennonite University. Michelle lives in the Shenandoah Valley with her husband, three wonderful children and one special grandson. She enjoys traveling, gardening and spending time with her family.  Currently, Michelle is enjoying the precious and fleeting moments spent with her youngest child before she leaves for college.

**Session 3a: Peaceable Learning Environments that Promote Healing and Well-Being
Creating spaces for healing and well-being begin with self-care and self-compassion. Inner healing authentically builds capacity for nurturing peaceful, just and caring relationships within work and life. As such, session participants will explore three pillars of inner and outer peacebuilding - tending, friending and mending -  that engage personal beliefs, human connectivity, and healing practices, and how this transfers to the classroom. 

Dr. Judy H. Mullet, Professor Emerita of Psychology at Eastern Mennonite University, is a consultant and presenter on restorative pedagogy and relational literacy in schools. Within graduate teacher education, Judy designed and teaches “Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation.” Her publications include “Restorative discipline: From getting even to getting well” in Children & Schools (2014) and “Healing the past through story” in Adult Learning (2014); Judy is also the co-author of The Little Book of Restorative Discipline for Schools (2005, 2015)

Session 3b: Pedagogical Practices for RJ Educators
Gregory and Evans (2020) recommend that RJE implementation not be limited to addressing student behaviors, but rather should impact “staff behaviors, policies and procedures, pedagogical choices, curricular decisions, and schoolwide decision-making processes” (p .4). This session focuses on the relationship between RJE and the curricular and pedagogical decisions that educators make when adopting a restorative justice ethos. Tomlinson’s framework for differentiated instruction will be presented as a way to think holistically about instructional practices and will include interactive dialogue between participants. 

Dr. Cathy Smeltzer Erb is director of the undergraduate teacher education program, Jesse T. Byler Endowed Chair, and professor of teacher education at Eastern Mennonite University. Cathy earned a Ph.D. and M.Ed. in curriculum studies from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE/UT), and a B.S. in secondary education from Eastern Mennonite University. She teaches undergraduate and graduate curriculum and methods courses with an emphasis on engaged and equitable classroom environments.

Dr. Kathy Evans is an Associate Professor of Education at Eastern Mennonite University, where she has helped develop EMU’s graduate program in Restorative Justice in Education (RJE), which supports educators as they create learning environments that promote relational approaches to teaching and learning, justice and equity in schools and classrooms, and transformational approaches to conflict and harm. She is the co-author of The Little Book of Restorative Justice in Education and has published articles and book chapters related to restorative justice and school discipline practices, focusing on the ways in which restorative justice is applied to educational contexts. With a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Research from The University of Tennessee in Knoxville, her teaching and scholarship focus on ways in which educators participate in creating more just and equitable educational opportunities for all students, including those with disability labels, those who exhibit challenging behavior, and those who are marginalized for a variety of reasons, including race, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

Session 5a: Restorative Circles in Schools
This session will look at different restorative circle models for supporting students and school staff in responding to student drama, disagreements, fights, and other forms of conflict in schools. These Tier 2 & 3 supports are based on empowerment and self-determination for students. They invite student voices in expressing their truths and needs, and eliciting their ideas and solutions.We will look at three restorative process models: mediation, shuttle mediation, and restorative conference. We will consider different elements of conflict including equals in conflict, one-way harm, power, and bullying, as well as two party and multi-party situations.

Participants will learn about:
Guiding principles of restorative circles
Goals and outcomes of three process models 
Skills of the mediator/facilitator 
Methods in the different process models

Bob Garrity, M.Ed., M.A., is an adjunct faculty member in Eastern Mennonite University’s Restorative Justice in Education program. He is a practitioner, teacher, and trainer in restorative practices. As a practitioner, he works with school divisions, individual schools, and educators as a facilitator, mediator, trainer, and consultant. In schools he facilitates restorative processes for student-student, student-teacher, parent-teacher, parent-parent, family-family, and group-group situations involving conflict or harm.  As an educator and trainer, he teaches at EMU and trains educators in their school divisions across Virginia in restorative practices, mediation, facilitation, group process, culturally responsive teaching, de-escalation skills, and bullying prevention. He provides direct services and training for schools, universities, agencies, businesses, families, and communities. Bob's publications and presentations include mediation training manuals, customized training materials, articles, and topics related to restorative practices.

Session 5b: Massive Resilience
Learn about groundbreaking efforts to reimagine and redesign in-school suspension for middle and high schools, using restorative in-school educational supports, infused with culturally responsive mindfulness-based restorative practices.

Ram Bhagat, EdD is a longtime educator, arts innovator, peacemaker, and community healer. He was an award-winning science teacher for Richmond Public Schools and specialized in arts integration, during his tenure for DC Public Schools. Mr. Bhagat co-founded the Afrikan Males Seminar, when he was a rookie teacher, to counteract the impact of exclusionary school discipline policies and practices on Black adolescent males. Currently, Dr. Bhagat is the Manager of School Culture and Climate Strategy for RPS. His work for the past three years has centered around restorative practices in education, culturally responsive mindfulness practices in schools, and transforming the culture of In-School Suspension. He is a visionary and  activist for healing trauma caused by gun violence. Dr. Ram leads community healing circles, yoga and drumming workshops, and youth peace programs, through his organization, the Drums No Guns Foundation, which was established in memory of his younger brother, who died from gun violence, and to honor his mother!

Ashley Williams, MS, C-IAYT is a Yoga Therapist and Mindfulness Educator with 12 years experience in the fields of education, behavioral and mental health and community programming in Richmond, VA and surrounding areas.  As a builder and weaver, she bridges mindfulness, diversity, wellness and inclusion on micro and macro-levels to achieve equitable, socially stable and conscious spaces for individual and collective care.|
She is the Founder of BareSOUL Yoga & Wellness,  a community-based organization initially created to offer accessible yoga offerings, and Mindful on Life, a curriculum-based program dedicated to transforming community through the practice of restorative, mindfulness education.  As an advocate for diverse representation, accessible self care and overall well-being, she has strategically built community-centered yoga and mindfulness programs in schools, health systems, government agencies, faith-based organizations and businesses as an employee, consultant and partner. Ashley continues to create spaces that offer mindful-based living practices to encourage self exploration, awareness, authenticity and build community for the collective good.
Currently, Ashley is the Mindfulness Director at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Richmond under the leadership of Dr. Ram Bhagat to oversee and implement mindful-based restorative practices as a trauma-responsive practice to offer whole school support for students, staff, parents and community members. 

Session 6a: Engaging English Language Learners Restoratively
English Language Learners have unique needs and strengths, and are important and integral members of the school community. With its focus on dignity and worth, Restorative Justice in Education provides a safe learning environment where they can both learn English and thrive. This session shares the HCPS journey with a focus on English Learners.

Emily Imgram has been working with English Learners with Harrisonburg City Public Schools for 9 years. The past 6 years she has been teaching in the Newcomer Program, both at the middle school and elementary level.  She completed the EMU graduate certificate in the RJE program in June, 2019. 

Laura Feichtinger McGrath is the Director of EL Support and Title III for Harrisonburg City Public Schools. Laura has been with HCPS for the past 21 years working with English language learners at all levels. She completed the EMU graduate certificate in RJE program in June 2018.

David Shenk is in his fourth year as Home-School Liaison at Harrisonburg High School, supporting Spanish-speaking families and newcomer/EL students.  Prior to working with Harrisonburg City Public Schools, David lived in Quito, Ecuador where he coordinated a faith-based non-profit project for Colombian refugees.  David is a certified interpreter and mediator.  He completed his RJE graduate certificate in May 2019 and continues to work towards his masters degree at Eastern Mennonite University.

Session 6b: Wellness for the RJE Practitioner
The ongoing global pandemic, an increase of students in poverty, and societal stressors such as childhood trauma contribute to educator's concerns and working conditions. Educators' stress is universal across nations and cultures (Hartney, 2008). RJE Practitioners must be aware of their overall wellness and needs to provide the best services to students, families, and communities.

Lisa Collins is an educational professional with 27 years of experience. She holds degrees in psychology and education and works as a business and education consultant. As a learning and development professional, Lisa supports talent management and business partners to solve workforce challenges. She brings a gender and equity lens to her working environments. Lisa can see multiple perspectives and creates community. Lisa serves on the Oregon Assembly of Black Affairs, and the advisory board for Strategies of Trauma Awareness and Resilience with Eastern Mennonite University, On The Inside, art-based services for incarnated women, and Oregon School Employee Wellness Conference Committee. Creatively, Lisa is a playwright with works produced in New York (Manhattan Repertory Theater) and Portland (Hipbone, and Portland Center Stage, the Armory). She lives in Portland with her wife and the youngest of their four children.

Session 7a: I Dream a School: Using Restorative Justice to Disrupt the School to Prison Pipeline
Imagine a place where you can be your full self, without compromise; where you experience success, as well as challenges, without the worry of being judged; where you are loved and supported as the unique individual you are; where you’re provided with opportunities to achieve at high levels, because others believe in your abilities.

Unfortunately, for many students, the place where they spend a significant amount of time – school, looks nothing like this. They are faced with metal detectors, surveillance cameras, and law enforcement on a daily basis. Some are faced with uncaring adults, who don’t make the time to get to know and understand them, and have not worked through their own biases.

How do we turn our dreams into our students’ realities? In this session, we will discuss and analyze the impact of the school-to-prison pipeline (the policies and practices that push particularly Black students, students with special needs, and LGBTQ students, out of school and on a pathway to prison); talk about how restorative justice can create a nurturing school culture and climate; and most importantly DREAM about what school can and should be.

Dwanna Nicole is the Executive Director of the Restorative Justice Partnership, where she works within school communities throughout the country to assist them with developing strategies to create more positive school climates for students, staff, and families. She provides training and implementation support in restorative justice to all stakeholders within school communities in the form of resources, complimentary professional development, and onsite assistance. Prior to her work with the Restorative Justice Partnership, Dwanna served as Advancement Project’s Director of Policy and Stakeholder Outreach, where she developed strategies to implement the policy agenda of Advancement Project and its partner organizations by supporting local, state, and national campaigns. She built and maintained relationships with external stakeholders, including teachers’ unions, school officials, judges, and policymakers to create a diverse constituency of support for Advancement Project’s initiatives. 

Session 7b: Cultivating Queer Resilience for RJE
What can restorative justice offer LGBTQ+ people to create nourishing and life-giving educational spaces? This session will provide an overview of the internal, interpersonal, and structural violence LGBTQ+ people, particularly youth, encounter in U.S. schools. Given these forms of violence, this session invites participants to reflect on the applications of restorative justice to create trauma-informed and resilience-oriented Queer spaces for healing, community-building, and growth. This space does not aim to provide answers, but foster initial questions and provide ideas for cultivating Queer resilience in your own context.

Note: Those seeking a "101" introduction to LGBTQ+ identities will not be well served by this session. If you are seeking an "LGBTQ+ 101" session, many incredible resources exist in different formats online.

Conner Suddick (he/him or any pronouns) is a Queer, Gen-Z, restorative justice practitioner-researcher and graduate student at the Center for Justice & Peacebuilding who values curiosity, imagination, and joy. He seeks to meld restorative justice, trauma healing, education, and prison industrial complex abolition to create trauma-informed and resilience-oriented learning environments to envision the possibilities for justice. He enjoys hammocking, giving affirmations, learning watercolor and embroidery, wearing floral patterns, and consuming far too many limes.

Session 8: Interrogating Whiteness in RJE
The complexities of 2020 and 2021 are bringing to light the troubling realities of harm caused in and through RJE when we are not critically aware of oppressive power impacting its implementation. Although the principles of RJE explicitly name justice and equity, implicit bias as well as structural and systemic inequities can result in the perpetuation of injustices. In this circle dialogue, Kathy and Dorothy, as white advocates of RJE, along with Skye Bowen and Sheryl Wilson, as Black leaders in the field of RJE, share their experiences, questions, and concerns about the centering of whiteness and the work of interrogating and de-centering of whiteness in the field of RJE. Collectively, their hope is to deepen the conversation so the potential of RJE can be better realized.

Sheryl R. Wilson is a practitioner, trainer and educator in restorative justice. Her dedication to the practice of restorative justice has led her to work with individuals, non-profits, academic institutions, and public agencies. In this work, she has facilitated restorative justice dialogues in various settings. Her experience also includes community outreach and defense-initiated victim outreach in capital cases. Sheryl is author of “Calling Out Whiteness,” a chapter in Colorizing Restorative Justice: Voicing Our Realities (Living Justice Press, 2020). She is the Executive Director of the Kansas Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution in North Newton, Kansas (KIPCOR) at Bethe College. In her work with the KIPCOR Restorative Schools Initiative, she works to train K-12 educators throughout Kansas in restorative practices. She is also the current Board President of the National Association of Community and Restorative Justice (NACRJ).

Skye Bowen is an educator with over 19 years of teaching experience. She is a passionate leader and advocate for equity and social justice. Skye and her husband, Orlando Bowen, dealt with the trauma of Orlando being assaulted by two police officers in a racial profiling incident. Despite this challenge, she continued to mentor students and empowered them to persevere despite the racism and discrimination many of her own students faced. She became instrumental in creating community partnerships, athletic programs, and leadership opportunities for students. Through her educational leadership, she raised over $20,000 in various fundraising initiatives for her high school. Her role as an educator gave her the opportunity to partner with her husband’s youth leadership charity, One Voice One Team Youth Leadership Organization. Skye recently taught in a youth correctional facility where she saw first hand the impact of the school to prison pipeline. This further motivated Skye to advocate for youth in order to address the systemic racism in the justice and education system that she observed every day. She developed training in restorative justice focused on anti-racism, anti-oppression and rooted in Afro-Indigenous culture. She is a strong advocate for social justice, youth advocacy, and community. Skye currently provides training for educators in various school boards on anti-racism, anti-oppression, and restorative justice. She has been married for 18 years and they have three teenage boys, Dante, Justice, and Marcus.

Dr. Kathy Evans is an Associate Professor of Education at Eastern Mennonite University, where she has helped develop EMU’s graduate program in Restorative Justice in Education (RJE), which supports educators as they create learning environments that promote relational approaches to teaching and learning, justice and equity in schools and classrooms, and transformational approaches to conflict and harm. She is the co-author of The Little Book of Restorative Justice in Education and has published articles and book chapters related to restorative justice and school discipline practices, focusing on the ways in which restorative justice is applied to educational contexts. With a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Research from The University of Tennessee in Knoxville, her teaching and scholarship focus on ways in which educators participate in creating more just and equitable educational opportunities for all students, including those with disability labels, those who exhibit challenging behavior, and those who are marginalized for a variety of reasons, including race, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

After an extensive career as a K-8 educator, Dorothy Vaandering now researches the implementation & sustainability of restorative justice in education. She works passionately to connect theory & practice in her current role as researcher & teacher-educator. Most recently she is gripped by the realities of colonization past & present, and she is working to understand reconciliation as a settler-Canadian through RJE. Dorothy is the author & co-author of a variety of academic & professional publications including The Little Book of Restorative Justice in Education. She is the Director of Relationships First: Restorative Justice in Education Newfoundland and Labrador and an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Closing Keynote: Practitioners' Panel : School and District Leders Reflect on Lessons Learned
In this session, school and district leaders will reflect on their experiences initiating and sustaining restorative justice principles, practices, and policies. Sharing stories about their experiences, they will reflect on things they have learned and provide insight into ways in which schools and districts can promote more just and restorative school environments. The session will provide opportunities for Q&A. 

Dr. Kevin F. Gilbert has been in education for 24 years and currently serves as the director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) in Howard County, Maryland. Prior to his arrival in HCPSS, he served as the coordinator for teacher leadership and special projects with the Clinton Public School District in Clinton, Mississippi. 
As the director of diversity, equity, and inclusion, Dr. Gilbert is tasked with coordinating HCPSS’s efforts to be more diverse, promote equity, and ensure inclusion throughout the district, which includes directing the implementation of restorative justice with fidelity. As the first person to serve in this capacity for HCPSS, he also oversees the operation of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI). ODEI has proven to be one of the bedrocks of the HCPSS's equity work. The Howard County Public School System is located in Ellicott City, MD and serves over 59,000 students and over 8,000 staff members.
He earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, and a doctorate in education leadership from Mississippi College.

April Howard is Chief Officer for Student Support for Harrisonburg City Public Schools where she leads the collaborative work under social and emotional learning for all students. April earned a MA and Ed.S in School Psychology as well as Educational Leadership licensure from James Madison University. She has served as a School Psychologist in both Harrisonburg and in Warren County and maintains her Nationally Certified School Psychologist licensure. April most recently completed Eastern Mennonite University’s Restorative Justice in Education Certificate Program and is an active member of the leadership team for Harrisonburg RJ Coalition. Additionally, April has training and expertise in trauma-informed care and bullying prevention.

Ram Bhagat, EdD is a longtime educator, arts innovator, peacemaker, and community healer. He was an award-winning science teacher for Richmond Public Schools and specialized in arts integration, during his tenure for DC Public Schools. Mr. Bhagat co-founded the Afrikan Males Seminar, when he was a rookie teacher, to counteract the impact of exclusionary school discipline policies and practices on Black adolescent males. Currently, Dr. Bhagat is the Manager of School Culture and Climate Strategy for RPS. His work for the past three years has centered around restorative practices in education, culturally responsive mindfulness practices in schools, and transforming the culture of In-School Suspension. He is a visionary and  activist for healing trauma caused by gun violence. Dr. Ram leads community healing circles, yoga and drumming workshops, and youth peace programs, through his organization, the Drums No Guns Foundation, which was established in memory of his younger brother, who died from gun violence, and to honor his mother!

Dr. Jelisa Wolfe holds an undergraduate degree in Special Education from the University of Connecticut, a Masters degree in Special Education from William and Mary, and an EdD in Administration and Supervision with a concentration in Special Education from Virginia Tech. She is thankful to have worked within Staunton City Schools for the past 21 years, most recently as the Executive Director of Student Services. This past year has affirmed her belief in the promise of public education as she has witnessed teachers, students and staff work creatively and relentlessly to connect, to learn and to grow. She is very thankful to have been in the first cohort of the Restorative Justice in Education Certificate Program at EMU.