This school once had a reputation for violence. Here's how that changed.

[FSogol]

How does a school change its violent culture? What kind of work must adults and students do for it to become a place where students feel safe and can learn?

This post tells the story of a school that found a way to dramatically remake its culture. It is William C. Hinkley High School in Aurora, Colo., which is a winner in the latest round of the Schools of Opportunity project, which recognizes public high schools that work to close opportunity gaps by creating learning environments that reach every student.

Hinkley High used “restorative justice,” a concept that has developed over the past 35 years as an alternative to traditional disciplinary and criminal justice systems in and out of school. While its critics say it is simply a way to be easy on offenders, it is far more than that.

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In practice, it means that the harm done is repaired and the perpetrator takes responsibility, and that the best way to repair the harm is for all stakeholders to be involved.

More by Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post at
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2018/10/11/this-school-once-had-reputation-violence-heres-how-that-changed/?utm_term=.5eadecbc3c53&wpisrc=nl_optimist&wpmm=1