Photo: PPOS students shared their ‘talking pieces’ and writing with the community during the Pagosa Peak Open School Restorative Practice Showcase on January 16.
Picture this playground scene:
A student kicks a ball to a friend, and another student intercepts the ball, running away with it. Soon there are tears; followed by chasing and yelling.
What happens next?
That depends on what type of school the students attend. Is it a traditional model… or do they attend a Restorative Practices (RP) school?
“In a Restorative Practices school, these kids would meet up with a mediator who facilitates problem-solving,” Pagosa Peak Open School (PPOS) sixth-grader Quinn says. “We focus on repairing the harm that’s been done to the person and their relationship, instead of just giving them a punishment.”
On January 16, students at PPOS celebrated Restorative Practices (RP) with a ‘Showcase Night,’ during which the community was invited to learn more about how RP shows up in the school, and what it looks like. Students did a demonstration of a mediation, Randy Compton from Restorative Solutions spoke about the history and importance of RP, and community members shared snacks while reviewing student work.
Displays of “talking pieces,” case studies and reflection showed what RP means to the students.
Additionally, Compton worked with the school’s Restorative Practices Student Board on their role in the school.
“After the training I felt more confident and prepared to mediate conflict,” Quinn said. “We got a chance to practice and ask questions, and he shared books with lots of information in them,
“I joined the board because I knew I would get to help bring people together and help friendships happen in our school. Now I feel more comfortable in my role doing those things.”
While students on the board participate in conflict resolution, RP includes practices that build and sustain a community, said PPOS’s Restorative Practices Coordinator Sarah Troxtell.
“I see Restorative Practices in action throughout the school — in opening and closing circles; in communications between students, advisors, and parents; in the tools we use to manage conflict; and in the rituals we’ve established to foster community,” Troxtell said. “The impact on student life is significant. Students become more aware of their emotional states and how those states influence the broader community. They learn to articulate what they need to thrive and succeed at school.”
Visiting trainer Randy Compton emphasized the positive outcomes of RP in schools.
“When Restorative Practices are implemented well — and it takes time and diligence to do it well — we have seen tremendous benefits in a number of ways,” he said. “Students are more engaged, and test scores improve. There’s an increase in empathy, resilience and life-long conflict resolution skills, something that will serve them far into the future in their relationships and careers.”
PPOS is in its fifth year of implementation of RP, and has not only seen a drop in office referrals and suspensions, but also an increase in test scores and student engagement.
This winter, each of the PPOS middle school grades 5-8 reached their achievement goals on the NWEA Reading test: performing at or above the national norm. Likewise, grades 6-8 met their NWEA math benchmark for this time of the year — and school-wide, students met the national norm for growth for both Math and Reading.
“I love that PPOS values RP and offers the entire community the opportunity to do the heart work it takes to ensure success,” PPOS Middle School Advisor Rue Graham said. “I use RP in the classroom with students and their parents, with colleagues, and even at home with my own children… RP gives people the tools to be brave and vulnerable, to honestly communicate how they were impacted in a situation and take personal accountability for their actions.”
PPOS has not only seen test scores improve over time with RP implementation, but also student engagement.
Starting in 2021, PPOS staff began surveying students on their behavioral, emotional and cognitive engagement. That first year showed numbers hovering around the 50th percentile for each category: 40th for cognitive, 50th for behavioral and 55th for emotional. Four years later, those numbers have increased to the 60th percentile for cognitive engagement, 70th percentile for behavioral engagement, and 80th percentile for emotional engagement.
“Restorative Practices is an integral part of the culture and community at PPOS,” Graham said. “It heavily relies on cultivating positive relationships with students as a proactive approach for classroom management and community engagement. There have been many instances when a problem has arisen that is easily solved with a conversation and agreement to focus on relationship repair rather than imposing punitive consequences for negative behavior.”
Pagosa Peak Open School is a tuition-free, K-8 district charter school focused on implementing a project-based learning (PBL) curriculum in a Restorative Practices environment.
To learn more about PPOS and to enroll your student for the 2025-26 school year, visit pagosapeakopenschool.org
Emily Murphy is School Director at Pagosa Peak Open School, the first District-authorized charter school in Archuleta County. Prior to her appointment as School Director, Emily filled various roles at PPOS including Project-Based Learning advisor, instructional coach, and assistant director.