Restorative practices and positive behavior supports continue to gain traction as educators shift their focus away from ineffective, harmful zero tolerance disciplinary practices to creating healthy, supportive environments for students and staff. These proactive, community-building practices emphasize positive relationships and interactions while still holding students accountable for negative behaviors.  Restorative practices is not a program, however; rather, it is a philosophy or ethos – a way of thinking and acting. To be truly effective, educators and leaders need to consider a comprehensive approach to transforming school culture rather than using restorative practices as a singular way to manage behavior. Interconnectedness should be the driving force in these efforts.

As key members of an interconnected school community, families should be involved in the collaborative problem solving and shared decision-making that characterize restorative practices. But this is often challenging given historical mistrust between families and educators. Parent Teacher Home Visits is a potent salve to these wounds. Our approach to home visiting helps create the conditions for family engagement in restorative practices to flourish given our emphasis on listening, learning, and relationship building. By focusing on hopes and dreams, creating understanding, and valuing student and family strengths, home visit educators begin to repair harm with families, restore trust, and fully partner for student success.