Restorative Practices: Free Classroom Resources

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Restorative Practices: Free Classroom Resources

About This Collection

Restorative Practices for Every Classroom

This collection brings together free, classroom-ready restorative practices resources for PreK-12 educators. You'll find lesson plans, on-demand webinars, conflict-resolution activities, community-building circles, and professional development, each one teacher-created or vetted and ready to use. Everything here is free with a Share My Lesson account.

Restorative practices help schools respond to conflict by repairing relationships instead of relying on suspension. The word "discipline" comes from the Latin disciplina, which means "to teach." Harsh, exclusionary punishments rarely teach students much. The evidence points to a better way. A University of Chicago Education Lab study of Chicago high schools found that restorative practices cut out-of-school suspensions by 18% and reduced in-school arrests by 35%. Students also felt safer and more connected at school. The CDC now recognizes restorative practices as an evidence-based way to build healthy school communities.

What You'll Find in This Collection

Restorative resources: circles, conflict-resolution toolkits, and classroom-management strategies that build trust and repair harm.
Prevention resources: lessons and webinars that strengthen school climate before problems start, from attendance to civil discourse.
Professional learning: on-demand webinars and handouts on positive discipline, trauma-informed teaching, and social and emotional learning (SEL).
Why punishment isn't working: background readings on the school-to-prison pipeline and alternatives to zero-tolerance discipline.

Building a Positive School Climate with Restorative Practices

Restorative practices work best as a whole-school commitment, not a one-time fix. Start small with a morning circle or a single restorative conversation, then build from there. Pair these resources with related Share My Lesson collections on social and emotional learning, trauma-informed teaching, and mental health awareness to support the whole student. For more, explore this teacher-created webpage on restorative practices from the AFT International Affairs team and these resources on positive school discipline. Start exploring today. Small changes in how we respond to conflict can reshape a classroom.

Frequently Asked Questions About Restorative Practices

What are restorative practices in schools? Restorative practices are strategies that build strong relationships and repair harm when conflict happens. Instead of removing a student through suspension, teachers use tools like circles, restorative conversations, and conflict resolution to address behavior and rebuild trust. The goal is to keep students in class, learning, and connected to their school community.

Do restorative practices actually reduce suspensions? Yes. A University of Chicago Education Lab study of Chicago public high schools found that restorative practices reduced out-of-school suspensions by 18% and in-school arrests by 35%, while students reported feeling safer at school. The CDC also recognizes restorative practices as an evidence-based way to build healthy school communities.

What grade levels do these restorative practices resources cover? This collection supports educators across all grade levels, from PreK through 12th grade, plus higher education and adult education. You'll find age-appropriate circles and lessons for elementary students as well as conflict-resolution and community-building tools for middle and high school classrooms.

Are these restorative practices resources free? Yes. Every lesson plan, webinar, and handout in this collection is free to download with a Share My Lesson account, which is also free. The materials are created or vetted by educators and trusted partners.

How do restorative practices connect to social and emotional learning (SEL)? Restorative practices and SEL work hand in hand. Both help students build self-awareness, empathy, and the skills to resolve conflict peacefully. Many resources in this collection blend the two, using circles and restorative conversations to strengthen relationships and emotional wellbeing.

How can a teacher start using restorative practices tomorrow? Start small. Try a brief community-building circle at the start of class, or replace one punitive response with a restorative conversation that asks what happened and how to make it right. The webinars and handouts in this collection walk you through practical, low-prep ways to begin, no schoolwide rollout required.