CES Fall Forum 2016

In today's society, many of us have faced trauma in our past personal history. We all bring baggage into the classroom, although school leaders and school communities haven't always made it safe to work these things out. Circles and restorative practices provide a model for helping students, educators, and counselors to support a school community in holding students' needs and serving as a trauma-sensitive school. We present an argument that schools can fight bias and embrace diversity through the application of these student-centered circles. Our school, Bronx Collaborative High School, combines clinical social work and social justice restorative practices as a value added approach to enhance academic achievement. We have found that it supports a well-developed school climate and culture.