{"id":42528,"date":"2019-07-03T13:44:50","date_gmt":"2019-07-03T17:44:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=42528"},"modified":"2019-07-03T15:40:21","modified_gmt":"2019-07-03T19:40:21","slug":"practitioners-from-five-states-and-11-virginia-school-districts-attend-emus-fourth-annual-restorative-justice-in-education-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/practitioners-from-five-states-and-11-virginia-school-districts-attend-emus-fourth-annual-restorative-justice-in-education-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"Practitioners from five states and 11 Virginia school districts attend EMU\u2019s fourth annual Restorative Justice in Education Conference\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

The American public school system has many structural issues, from an emphasis on standardized assessments to inequitable disciplinary procedures and overcrowding, but <\/span>Kathy Evans<\/b><\/a>, an education professor at Eastern Mennonite University, thinks the real problems are rooted much more deeply.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Professor Kathy Evans’ keynote addressed how restorative justice can combat\u00a0 the educational system’s emphasis on individualism and hierarchies.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And they are ones that every educator can contribute towards solving. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur real problems are about our shared humanity, about our sense of belonging, about our connections to one another and to the world we inhabit,\u201d she said in a keynote address at EMU\u2019s fourth annual Restorative Justice in Education (RJE) Conference.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But a shared ethos of restorative justice has the potential to create change in our educational system, she added.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRJE begins and ends with the values of dignity, respect and mutual concern for one another and upholds an underlying conviction that all people, and all means all, y\u2019all, children and youth, parents and caregivers, educators, administrators, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and custodial staff,\u201d Evans said. \u201cAll people are worthy, relational, and interconnected.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Conference gathers new and experienced RJE practitioners<\/h3>\n

For the more than 100 conference participants, many of whom invested two days of their summer vacation and drove hundreds of miles, Evans\u2019 message is one that resonates deeply.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis opportunity really emphasizes learning about and sharing positive principles and practices in our work towards creating just and equitable learning environments,\u201d said graduate teacher education program director <\/span>Meg Sander<\/b><\/a>. \u201cIn that kind of environment, everyone in the community can nurture and develop healthy relationships and transform conflict. We can all effect change.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The annual summer event, hosted by EMU\u2019s <\/span>MA in Education<\/span><\/a> programs, has always drawn participants from several states, growing in diversity as RJE practices are expanding across the country. The June 25-26 event included participants from North Carolina, Massachusetts, Delaware, New York and Virginia, representing 11 districts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to administrators, teachers, counselors and behavioral specialists working in the schools, other attendees included therapists and counselors, community service board employees, and representatives from the Office on Youth, as well as the University of Delaware.<\/span><\/p>\n

The conference included skill- and knowledge-building sessions on tracks for novice and more experienced practitioners as well as reflective sessions in which participants could think about how learnings about RJE can be implemented or considered within current practices and cultures.<\/span><\/p>\n

Presenters included:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n