City Springs was once a failing school in Baltimore City; however, Richetta implemented restorative practices at City Springs in 2007 resulting in a tremendous transformation in school climate and a significant reduction in school suspensions.
In particular, school climate reports reveal that this need is particularly pressing for transgender individuals who are little understood and often rendered invisible or made to conform to gender-normative social standards.
In "Improving School Climate: Findings from Schools Implementing Restorative Practices," Sharon Lewis, former research director for the Council of the Great City Schools, reported dramatic reductions in suspensions and expulsions at schools in three countries that trained all of their staff in restorative practices.
As the students indicated in their school climate surveys, they did not make many decisions about the school.
A follow-up report will examine more closely the relationship between reductions in suspensions and school climate, particularly in schools that had the highest suspension rates.
These, of course, are critically important, but is that all that leads a student to experience the school as "safe?" Safety is, in some of the ways we use the term in association with school climate, brushing up against sentiments more akin to "belonging".
Districts that consistently implement these kinds of practices don't just see a reduction in suspensions and expulsions, but also improvements in measures of positive school climate and reductions in behavioral problems.
Variation in perceptions of school climate is based on different factors.
In this study, school climate will be understood as the perception of individuals (students, parents, and teachers/staff) regarding the quality and consistency of the personal interactions that involve the school community (Haynes et al., 1997).
Another key factor cited by the supervisor beyond the size of the school was the existence of a group of teachers who were already interested in issues like school climate.
