Practitioner Tools
Tools for young people, parents, community members, organizers, educators, advocates, & policymakers who want to move away from punitive school discipline policy.
How do we know where we are and where we want to go?
Compass Brief (PDF) →
Use the compass introduced in this brief to evaluate the state of school discipline at your school. Also included is an observation protocol and facilitation guide to support your community’s efforts to assess school discipline policies and practices, and school climate and culture overall. With this tool, you can discuss your vision for a better school and how to get there.
North Star Brief (PDF) →
This brief walks you through a description of a fictional school that is a patchwork of best practices researchers observed in schools across California. This brief provides a potential vision of an educative, liberatory school and can be used to complement the Compass Brief.
What is important to know about selecting and implementing alternative approaches to discipline?
Models of RJ Practice Brief (PDF) →Restorative justice has many forms and approaches. Learn about different models of restorative justice so you can advocate for more holistic and transformative models in your school or district.
Lessons for RJ Implementation Brief (PDF) →Review action steps distilled from research data to prepare for implementing a restorative justice program in your district or school.
What does the research say about school police?
School Police Brief (PDF )
(coming soon) →
Learn about how research on policing in school has changed over time and the findings from our research study about the role school police play in school climate, culture, and discipline.
(coming soon) →
Learn about how research on policing in school has changed over time and the findings from our research study about the role school police play in school climate, culture, and discipline.
How can we address anti-Black racism at our school?
For a committed group of individuals working to confront anti-Black racism within themselves and their institutions, this brief offers a set of structured conversations to initiate concerted action and reflection.
