Listen on I-Tunes Circle Forum 

Risk factors can predict concerns with chronic absenteeism. Educators can connect the dots between risk factors like mobility, history of absenteeism, student behaviours, declining student achievement or health. Noticing a change is one thing. Acting on it by telling someone else is another.

Restorative suggestions:

1. Know that there are many little things that you can do as a teacher when observing risk factors related to absenteeism.
2. Know that you can talk to others in schools, districts and communities who can help.
3. Establish a connection base through the relationships with students and families in order to be able to make a caring response to students.

Order Steve’s book The Restorative Principal Leading in Education with Restorative Practices

Visit CircleForum for more information about attending to student absenteeism.

Music – Scott Holmes Music – Upbeat Party

Listen on I-Tunes Circle Forum 

Taking a strengths-based approach, individual educators can make a difference in the lives of students at risk of chronic absenteeism. There are so many protective factors that educators can control and influence in order to improve student attendance and engagement.

Restorative suggestions:Reflect on your practice regularly using the restorative questions. Adults who are firm and fair give students structure and support to attend school. Ask questions to parents that build up strengths rather than blame parents.

Checklist of Attendance Protective Factors

Some of the  protective factors that can mitigate and address absenteeism:

(Adapted from CHECK & CONNECT Protective Factors associated with school dropout, Regents of University of Minnesota, 2017)
student completes homework
student comes to class prepared
student has high locus of control
student has good self-concept
student has expectations for school completion
family- academic support for learning(e.g. help with homework)
family – motivational support for learning(e.g. high expectations for learning)
family – availability of educational resources
family – parental monitoring
school – orderly school environment
school – committed, caring teachers
school – fair discipline policies
school – relationship with one caring adult
school – opportunities for participation

Order Steve’s book The Restorative Principal Leading in Education with Restorative Practices

Visit CircleForum for more information about attending to student absenteeism.

Music – Scott Holmes Music – Upbeat Party

Listen on I-Tunes Circle Forum 

Our guest this week is Nathan Ngieng, Assistant Superintendent of Abbotsford School District in British Columbia. Heading into the pandemic, the leadership decided to make student health and well-being a priority along with staff health and well-being. That vision helped to create safe spaces and hold space for belonging and connection.

Restorative suggestions:Take the opportunity to listen in order to understand not to respond regardless of your role in the school district. Every person has a role to play in implementing a common goal like health and well-being. Give yourself permission to check and connect with students and colleagues and find out how they’re doing. Participation in circles can develop the symmetry of adult learning and student learning.

How deeper learning can Transform Schools a project with Harvard Graduate School of Education

Street Data by Shane Safir and Jamila Dugan

Order Steve’s book The Restorative Principal Leading in Education with Restorative Practices

Visit CircleForum for more information about attending to student absenteeism.

Listen on I-Tunes Circle Forum 

Our guest this week is Jared Baker, a grade 5/6 French Immersion teacher, who talks about his daily practice. He has some great stories to share about how circles work in his classroom in French. Jared makes some excellent connections between restorative practices, Treaties of Peace and Friendship and setting up his classroom norms.

Restorative suggestions:Incorporate restorative practices into your daily practice, the way you teach. Don’t be afraid to pause a conversation and get back to it later. Give circles a try and keep at it.

Order Steve’s book The Restorative Principal Leading in Education with Restorative Practices

Visit CircleForum for more information about our online trainings in restorative practices

Listen on I-Tunes Circle Forum 

Fair process requires three E’s – Engagement, Explanation and Expectation clarity. Looking back on the process of indigenous land treaties, the fair process did not happen. It’s important to educate ourselves in order to have a better understanding of the treaties. Expectation clarity helps us move into actions of reconciliation in schools and in society.

Restorative practice suggestions:Get to know what the 3 E’s of Fair Process stand for (see link below) Make Fair Process part of your classroom pedagogy. Be prepared for the discomfort of Fair Process. Don’t think that as a teacher you need to have all the answers for the big questions that arise in a Fair Process conversation. It’s an opportunity to model this for students.

The 3 E’s of Fair Process

Link to book by Kevin Lamoureux and Jennifer Katz Ensouling our Schools: a universally designed framework for mental health, well-being and reconciliation.  2018

Order Steve’s book The Restorative Principal Leading in Education with Restorative Practices

Visit CircleForum for more information about our online trainings in restorative practices

Music – Scott Holmes Music – Upbeat Party

Listen on I-Tunes Circle Forum 

Join our guest this week,Barbara Coloroso, as we discuss where NOT to use restorative practices. We consider an excellent response to an in-class bullying situation. Part 2 continues the conversation with what is described as adult conflict when it’s really bullying, utter disregard for another human being. “It’s a short walk from bullying to violence to genocide” says Coloroso. In her study of genocide, the numbers of indigenous people killed in North America and South America are numbers 1 and 2 ahead of the total deaths in the Holocaust.

Restorative suggestions:

1. All students need TAO – Time, Affection, Optimism.
2. Adults in schools can’t ignore things that aren’t right.
3. Reflect on the fact that “it’s my place to speak up about it.”
4. Bullying situations present opportunities to learn for adults and for students. Let your responses to bullying be guided by the perspective of the victim.

Free Resource from Barbara Coloroso An Essential Guide for Educators on Bullying

Check out Barbara’s website www.kidsareworthit.com for books, articles and resources

Order Steve’s book The Restorative Principal Leading in Education with Restorative Practices

Visit CircleForum for more information about our online trainings in restorative practices

Music – Scott Holmes Music – Upbeat Party

Listen on I-Tunes Circle Forum 

Educators who know their students’ stories will understand the risk factors that can lead to student absenteeism. A trusted caring adult can make a difference in the lives of students. The lived experience of Indigenous students and their families impacts students’ behaviours and is important for educators to learn and to know. The story of a missing and murdered Indigenous girl is referenced below ( Tina Fontaine).

Restorative practice suggestions:

1. Use the restorative questions.
2. Relationships between schools and the families of students are important for everyone and especially for Indigenous students.
3. Get to know the stories of your students and you will get to know their voices.

What is the Gladue Act in the Canadian Criminal Code?

The Restorative Practice Questions

Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth A place where it feels like home: the story of Tina Fontaine March 2019

Order the book Colorizing Restorative Justice, Voicing our Realities

Order Steve’s book The Restorative Principal Leading in Education with Restorative Practices

Visit CircleForum for more information about our online trainings in restorative practices

Music – Scott Holmes Music – Upbeat Party

Listen on I-Tunes Circle Forum 

Our guest this week is Dr. Kelly Gallagher-McKay who was a leading researcher in a study of 700,000 Toronto area school boards which showed extreme absenteeism, students missing over 50% of school days, increased 6 fold over the pandemic last school year. Dr. Gallagher-Mckay co-authored a longitudinal study which showed 3 reliable elementary school predictors or indicators that students would not continue on to post-secondary studies: a. 10% absenteeism in even 1 year in elementary school. b. 1 suspension during elementary school. c. participating in a congregated special education services class. Student connection to school builds a sense of belonging which positively impacts attendance.

Restorative practice suggestions:

1. Ask questions about absenteeism early and don’t wait for 15 days of consecutive absence to act.
2. Look carefully at elementary school attendance data as a predictor of secondary school attendance and completion.
3. Ask yourself “Am I denying someone the ‘opportunity to learn” by not knowing and not acting on the predictive factors in marginalized student groups?”
4. Focus on data that includes total absences. Student absenteeism presents opportunities for inter-agency cooperation between schools and public health.

Learning through Covid-19 Report #1: Enrollment and Absenteeism (August 2021)Research Collaboration with Greater Toronto Area school boards in which Dr. Kelly Gallagher-Mckay was a writer.

Redefining Risk: Human rights and elementary school factors predicting post-secondary access Brown, Robert and Kelly Gallagher-Mckay and Gillian Parekh Feb. 2020.

Order Steve’s book The Restorative Principal Leading in Education with Restorative Practices

Visit CircleForum for more information about our online trainings in restorative practices

Music – Scott Holmes Music – Upbeat Party

Listen on I-Tunes Circle Forum 

Our guest this week is Dr. Edward Valandra who encouraged us to keep challenging our thinking and perspectives in restorative practices. As white facilitators, we need to consider our cultural baggage before even entering a circle conversation and listen to the perspectives of participants who are black, indigenous and persons of colour. It was such a great conversation that we had to break it into 2 separate episodes.

Restorative practice suggestions:

1. Chunk your learning about BIPOC perspectives in restorative practices and restorative justice.
2. Question the status quo and structures you find yourself in with circles.
3. Read the book Colorizing Restorative Justice. (Dr. Edward Valandra is one of the editors)
4. Go to those spaces that are uncomfortable and you may well be surprised by the relationships you are able to develop.
5. Find someone you can trust who can be a goto person for the challenging questions which arise from books like Colorizing Restorative Justice.

Order the book Colorizing Restorative Justice, Voicing our Realities

Order Steve’s book The Restorative Principal Leading in Education with Restorative Practices

Visit CircleForum for more information about our online trainings in restorative practices

Music – Scott Holmes Music – Upbeat Party

Listen to the podcast now.

Steve tells a compelling story about what it’s like in the pandemic when leadership is NOT firm or fair. Leaders who avoid conflict or confrontation risk harm to their staff and to their students. Restorative Practices suggestions:Build your relationships with your staff early. Listen to understand staff strengths from previous years under previous leaders. Use a fair process which has engagement, explanation and expectation clarity.

Link to more info on Fair Process 3 E’s – Engagement, Explanation, Expectation Clarity

Order Steve’s book The Restorative Principal Leading in Education with Restorative Practices

Visit CircleForum for more information about our online trainings in restorative practices

Click here for more info on our services