Restorative Justice in the English Language Arts Classroom

The authors show how English teachers can think and plan using a restorative justice lens to address issues of student disconnection and alienation; adult and youth well-being in schools; and inequity and racial justice through writing, reading, speaking, and action.

How do teachers educate responsibly in an age of mass incarceration? And why should English teachers in particular concern themselves with unequal treatment and opportunity and the school-to-prison pipeline? The authors—teacher educators and a restorative justice practitioner—address these and other critical questions, examining the intersection of restorative justice (RJ) and education with a focus on RJ processes that promote inclusivity and ownership. This book is a beginning guide for ELA teachers to address harm and inequities in the classroom, school, community, and nation. Viewing adolescent literacy, as outlined in Adolescent Literacy: An NCTE Policy Research Brief, through the lens of restorative justice will help teachers recognize just how integral practicing empathy and justice is to developing adolescent literacy. The authors provide concrete, specific examples of how ELA teachers can think and plan curriculum using an RJ lens to address issues of student disconnection and alienation, adult and youth well-being in schools, and inequity and racial justice through writing, reading, speaking, and action.