Giving Compass' Take:

• KIPP charter schools around the U.S. are redesigning their school discipline policies to focus more restorative justice practices rather than suspensions. 

• The charter network is allowing schools to implement these policies at their own pace in their own ways,  so it's not a one size fits all policy. What are the challenges with this implementation method?  What are the successes? 

• Read more about restorative justice practices in schools. 

It was the second meeting of a group meant to defuse conflicts at KIPP Camino, and there was plenty to defuse.

Whether a certain K-pop band was good or bad, who was friends with whom — it was all causing fights, sometimes with profanity thrown in.  Students sitting in a circle took turns explaining what had gone wrong, and it quickly became obvious that one student was the common denominator.

Bailey surveyed the scene with a sense of pride: The previous week, all 10 students in the group were caught up in conflict, and it took nearly an hour to sort through the disagreements.  This time, they reached a conclusion in 30 minutes.

We’re starting to whittle down what and who is at the heart of the conflicts,” Bailey said. It was a start.

The activity was part of the San Antonio KIPP school’s efforts to reduce suspensions by adopting “restorative justice” practices that aim to help students rethink and ultimately change their behavior. Inspired by changes in Bay Area KIPP schools nearly a decade ago, changes are underway at dozens of KIPP schools across the country. The initiatives are reshaping schools across the country’s largest nonprofit charter network, which was an early emblem of the “no excuses” movement that called for strict discipline to achieve academic gains.

KIPP is far from alone in reconsidering punitive discipline practices. Amid a growing awareness that harsh discipline can alienate students and could push them off track to graduate, many districts and networks have charged schools with reducing suspensions.But unlike places where that charge has come via a top-down decree, KIPP is allowing each of its 32 local networks to decide how to make the shift. In some places, the transition happened quickly, while others have plans that will take years to roll out; a few places aren’t prioritizing restorative justice, choosing a different strategy altogether.

Read the full article about school discipline by Francisco Vara-Orta at Chalkbeat