Newswise — What started 34 years ago with a delinquent boy named Jimmy has evolved into a graduate school fully accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP) Graduate School (www.iirp.org), in Bethlehem, PA, on June 23 was granted accreditation by Middle States following a self-study and external reviews.
The IIRP offers master’s degrees and a graduate certificate in restorative practices. Many IIRP students are K-12 school administrators, counselors or teachers. IIRP faculty are respected figures in education, counseling, psychology, child and youth care, criminal justice and conflict resolution.
And it all started in 1977 with 15-year-old Jimmy from Bucks County, PA, who had just been released from juvenile detention. Jimmy, a brain-damage victim, probably at the hands of his father, liked to steal large construction vehicles and drive them around.
Jimmy was the first client for Ted and Susan Wachtel, former public school teachers who were frustrated by the way they saw “difficult” youth being treated in schools.
They formed the nonprofit Community Service Foundation (CSF), obtained a private school license, found a room in a church in Bedminster, PA, and opened the doors with Jimmy, a test case referred by Bucks County Juvenile Court, as their lone pupil. “Jimmy was a challenge but he was also a sweet kid who we really enjoyed working with,” says Ted Wachtel, president of the IIRP. “And we were able to help him.”
Soon the courts began referring a steady stream of “problem” students to the Wachtels. CSF eventually grew into eight schools, 16 foster group homes and various supervision programs for at-risk youth in eastern Pennsylvania, which have helped more than 10,000 kids turn their lives around. The linchpin for CSF’s success is restorative practices, an effective alternative to exclusionary and punitive policies that holds students accountable by actively engaging them in their own issues, behavior and decisions.
Restorative practices proved so effective with the youth in CSF programs that the Wachtels and their staff established the International Institute for Restorative Practices to bring the practices to public schools and other organizations.
The restorative practices concept has its roots in restorative justice, a way of looking at criminal justice that focuses on repairing the harm done to people and relationships.
Restorative practices, however, go beyond restorative justice to include proactive processes that build community and relationships. “The philosophy is simple,” says Ted Wachtel. “People respond best when you do things with them and not to them or for them. Restorative practices give students responsibilities. It combines high expectations with lots of support.” “This is not permissiveness,” says Wachtel, who back in the 1980s was one of the leaders of a movement called “Toughlove.” “Wrongdoing is not tolerated. Solutions, however, are arrived at collaboratively, generating buy in from people involved and others who are impacted.”
As the protocols and processes involved in restorative practices are learned and applied in schools and other settings, the climate of the school or organization changes for the better.
The IIRP has trained tens of thousands of people from 55 nations in these processes. There are IIRP affiliates and licensed trainers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia, Costa Rica, Hungary, Israel, Jamaica, The Netherlands, Peru, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States. The IIRP offers a whole-school implementation initiative through its SaferSanerSchools program. Significant reductions in bullying, violence and other behavior problems have been reported by schools using restorative practices in such places as Philadelphia, Detroit, Baltimore, New York City and San Francisco. The IIRP Graduate School opened in 2006 and has awarded approximately 80 degrees. Students earn a 30 credit Master of Restorative Practices and Education or Master of Restorative Practices and Youth Counseling or an 18-credit Graduate Certificate in Restorative Practices.
As most students are working professionals, courses (some with online components) are offered on weekends, as intensive weeklong summer courses and at multiple locations.
The curriculum encompasses parallel practices in education, counseling, social work, justice and organizational management.
Wachtel describes restorative practices as “an emerging social science that enables people to restore and build community in an increasingly disconnected world.” The goal is to engage and empower people to find their own solutions, resolve their own conflicts, foster healthy relationships and build social capital.
“It is working to restore community in a world starved for community,” says Wachtel.
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