What is School Discipline

Restorative justice serves to facilitate juvenile offenders in taking responsibility for their actions via dialogue with victim, victim's family, and community. In the PK12 setting, this model uses classroom circles to set academic goals, explore curriculum, develop core values, fairness communities, and peer juries to talk with students about causes and identify positive issues to repair the harm done. Kohlberg's theory informs the use and implementation of restorative justice with its six stages of moral development. This chapter will examine Kohlberg's theory coupled with restorative justice at the PK12 level. The application of these philosophies may lead to early development of positive decision making, value of self, good communication skills, and ethical problem solving. By establishing these psychological/sociological foundations in early childhood, children may be able to secure friendly relationships and orient more easily towards fixed rules.