Restorative and Relationship-Centered Practices

Check-in systems are targeted Tier 2 supports that provide students with regular, positive contact with a trusted adult throughout the school day. These structured interactions help students build relationships, receive encouragement, monitor progress toward behavioral or social-emotional goals, and access support before challenges escalate.

Check-in systems are proactive and relationship-centered. Rather than focusing solely on correcting behavior, they promote connection, accountability, and success by ensuring students have consistent opportunities to receive feedback, problem-solve, and celebrate progress.

Research consistently demonstrates that positive relationships with caring adults are among the strongest protective factors for student success. Regular check-ins help increase students' sense of belonging while providing early opportunities to identify concerns and reinforce positive behaviors.

Check-in systems support:

• Increased student connectedness and belonging
• Improved behavioral and social-emotional outcomes
• Greater student engagement and attendance
• Earlier identification of emerging concerns
• Stronger communication between students and school staff

• Assigned, consistent adult mentor or check-in person
• Brief, structured, and predictable meetings
• Goal-setting and progress review
• Positive encouragement and coaching
• Data-informed monitoring of student progress
• Collaboration with families and support teams when appropriate

• Match students with adults who can build authentic relationships.
• Keep check-ins brief, positive, and solution-focused.
• Establish consistent meeting times and routines.
• Reinforce student strengths and successes.
• Monitor participation and outcomes regularly.
• Coordinate check-in systems with other Tier 2 supports.

• Center on PBIS
• Check & Connect
• National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE)

Relationship mapping is a systematic process used to identify the strength and quality of students' connections with trusted adults throughout the school community. By visually examining student-adult relationships, schools can identify students who may be disconnected and intentionally strengthen supportive relationships before concerns become more significant.

Relationship mapping helps ensure that every student is known, valued, and connected to at least one caring adult within the school.

Students who feel connected to adults at school are more likely to attend regularly, engage in learning, demonstrate positive behavior, and seek help when needed. Relationship mapping helps schools move beyond assumptions by intentionally identifying students who may lack meaningful connections.

Relationship mapping supports:

• Early identification of disconnected students
• Improved student belonging
• Stronger school climate
• Increased staff collaboration
• More equitable access to supportive relationships

• Schoolwide review of student-adult connections
• Identification of students with limited adult relationships
• Collaborative staff discussions
• Data-informed prioritization
• Regular updates throughout the school year
• Integration with MTSS and PBIS systems

• Conduct relationship mapping multiple times each year.
• Include a variety of staff members during mapping activities.
• Use attendance, behavior, and climate data alongside relationship information.
• Develop action plans for students identified as disconnected.
• Monitor changes over time.

• Search Institute
• Center on PBIS
• National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments

Connection planning is the intentional process of developing individualized strategies that strengthen students' relationships with adults and peers within the school environment. Using information gathered through relationship mapping and student data, teams identify meaningful opportunities to increase positive interactions, participation, and belonging.

Connection planning moves schools from identifying students who need additional support to implementing specific actions that strengthen relationships and increase engagement.

Positive relationships do not always develop naturally. Some students require intentional opportunities to build trust, participate in meaningful activities, and experience success with supportive adults and peers.

Connection planning helps:

• Increase student belonging
• Strengthen mentoring relationships
• Improve attendance and engagement
• Reduce behavioral concerns
• Promote equitable access to supportive adults

• Student-centered planning
• Strength-based approach
• Clearly identified relationship goals
• Opportunities for regular positive interactions
• Collaboration among staff
• Ongoing monitoring and adjustment

• Include student interests when developing connection plans.
• Identify naturally occurring opportunities for interaction.
• Involve multiple adults when appropriate.
• Review plans during Tier 2 meetings.
• Celebrate progress and relationship growth.

• Search Institute
• CASEL
• Center on PBIS

Description:

Community circles are structured, facilitated conversations that strengthen relationships, build trust, develop communication skills, and create a sense of belonging among students. At Tier 2, community circles are often used with small groups of students who benefit from additional opportunities to develop social-emotional competencies, strengthen peer relationships, or process shared experiences.

These circles provide safe, supportive spaces where students practice listening, empathy, perspective-taking, and respectful communication.

Importance:

Students who experience strong peer relationships and belonging are more likely to engage positively in school. Community circles provide structured opportunities to develop these skills while strengthening classroom and school communities.

Community circles support:

• Improved peer relationships
• Increased empathy and communication skills
• Greater student voice
• Enhanced emotional safety
• Reduced conflict and social isolation

• Consistent circle routines and expectations
• Skilled facilitation
• Equal opportunity for participation
• Focus on relationship-building
• Respectful listening and communication
• Psychological safety and trust

• Begin with low-risk topics to build trust.
• Establish shared agreements for participation.
• Use circles regularly rather than only after conflicts.
• Encourage voluntary participation while maintaining inclusion.
• Connect circle topics to social-emotional learning goals.

• International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP)
• Center on PBIS
• CASEL

Relationship repair involves structured conversations and restorative processes that help students address conflict, repair harm, rebuild trust, and restore positive relationships after behavioral incidents or interpersonal challenges. Rather than focusing solely on consequences, relationship repair emphasizes accountability, empathy, problem-solving, and restoring connections within the school community.

At Tier 2, relationship repair is used when students benefit from guided support in resolving recurring conflicts or strengthening relationships with peers or adults.

Importance:

Behavioral incidents can damage relationships and reduce students' sense of belonging if they are not intentionally addressed. Restorative relationship repair helps students understand the impact of their actions, develop empathy, and practice skills that reduce the likelihood of future conflicts.

Relationship repair supports:

• Increased accountability
• Stronger student-adult and peer relationships
• Reduced repeated conflict
• Improved problem-solving skills
• Greater school connectedness and belonging

• Focus on repairing harm rather than assigning blame
• Guided restorative conversations
• Student voice and active participation
• Opportunities for empathy and reflection
• Collaborative development of repair agreements
• Follow-up to ensure relationships are restored

• Conduct conversations as soon as appropriate after an incident.
• Ensure all participants feel emotionally and physically safe.
• Use restorative questions to guide discussion.
• Focus on learning and repairing relationships rather than punishment.
• Follow up with students to reinforce commitments and provide ongoing support.

• International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP)
• Center on PBIS
• National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE)

The Fundamentals of Restorative Practices & Introduction to Circles two-day training introduces educators to the core principles and practices of restorative approaches that strengthen relationships, build community, and foster a positive school climate. Participants learn how restorative practices shift school culture from managing behavior through punishment to building relationships, teaching accountability, and creating opportunities to repair harm.

The training emphasizes the use of proactive community-building circles to increase trust, belonging, student voice, and connectedness. Educators learn practical strategies for facilitating circles, developing classroom agreements, fostering respectful dialogue, and integrating restorative practices into daily classroom routines and schoolwide systems. Participants also explore how restorative approaches align with Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), and trauma-informed practices to support positive outcomes for all students.

Participants will:

• Understand the philosophy, principles, and research supporting restorative practices in schools.
• Explore the continuum of restorative practices, from proactive community building to responsive interventions.
• Learn how to plan, facilitate, and reflect on effective community circles.
• Develop facilitation skills that encourage student voice, active listening, empathy, and respectful dialogue.
• Practice strategies for building trust, strengthening relationships, and fostering classroom belonging.
• Learn techniques for establishing circle norms, managing participation, and responding to common facilitation challenges.
• Examine how restorative circles can support social-emotional learning, conflict prevention, classroom management, and positive school climate.
• Explore strategies for integrating restorative practices into existing Tier 1 and Tier 2 MTSS/PBIS systems.

Recommended Audience

• General and special education teachers
• School and district administrators
• School counselors, psychologists, and social workers
• Behavior specialists
• Instructional coaches
• Paraprofessionals
• MTSS/PBIS leadership teams
• Anyone interested in strengthening school culture through relationship-centered practices

• International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP)
• Pennsylvania Positive Behavior Support (PaPBS) Network
• Center on PBIS
• CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning)
• National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE)