In 2013, The Director of Student Support Services for the San Lorenzo Unified School District (SLZUSD) implemented a Restorative Practices program in an effort to improve relationships on campus and decrease suspension and expulsion rates in SLZUSD. The Directors push for RP was fueled by the passing of Assembly Bill 1729 (AB-1729), when the California Education Code changed to allow for alternative disciplinary actions. States nationwide have passed bills similar to AB-1729 and allowed schools to use alternative punitive practices. Despite good natured intentions there were many faculty members who did not respond with enthusiasm and there has since been an uphill battle in trying to gain buy-in and increase understanding of RP from faculty members.
The goal while working in SLZUSD was to assess the needs of the existing RP program and to provide recommendations on support systems and tools to increase the socio-emotional competency of teachers and improve the overall effectiveness of the program. The focus was on the teacher's role in the successful delivery of RP and what hindrances or external factors could be interfering with their views and attitudes about RP and its value. The underlying focus of the fieldwork as well as RP was to promote and maintain equality and positive learning for all pupils.
","abstract_html":"<p>In 2013, The Director of Student Support Services for the San Lorenzo Unified School District (SLZUSD) implemented a Restorative Practices program in an effort to improve relationships on campus and decrease suspension and expulsion rates in SLZUSD. The Directors push for RP was fueled by the passing of Assembly Bill 1729 (AB-1729), when the California Education Code changed to allow for alternative disciplinary actions. States nationwide have passed bills similar to AB-1729 and allowed schools to use alternative punitive practices. Despite good natured intentions there were many faculty members who did not respond with enthusiasm and there has since been an uphill battle in trying to gain buy-in and increase understanding of RP from faculty members.</p> <p>The goal while working in SLZUSD was to assess the needs of the existing RP program and to provide recommendations on support systems and tools to increase the socio-emotional competency of teachers and improve the overall effectiveness of the program. The focus was on the teacher's role in the successful delivery of RP and what hindrances or external factors could be interfering with their views and attitudes about RP and its value. The underlying focus of the fieldwork as well as RP was to promote and maintain equality and positive learning for all pupils.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["White, Amber"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Behavioral Health (MSBH)","degree_level":"Project/Capstone - Global access","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Kathy Raffel","Kelly L'Engle"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2016,"date_issued":"2016-08-17T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2016-08-17T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:43:40Z","subjects":["Community-Based Learning","Education","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research","Educational Psychology","Mental and Social Health","Public Health and Community Nursing","Special Education and Teaching","Student Counseling and Personnel Services"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/374","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Kathy Raffel","Kelly L'Engle"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["White, Amber"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2016-08-09T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Project/Capstone - Global access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Behavioral Health (MSBH)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Community-Based Learning","Education","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research","Educational Psychology","Mental and Social Health","Public Health and Community Nursing","Special Education and Teaching","Student Counseling and Personnel Services"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/374"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["In 2013, The Director of Student Support Services for the San Lorenzo Unified School District (SLZUSD) implemented a Restorative Practices program in an effort to improve relationships on campus and decrease suspension and expulsion rates in SLZUSD. The Directors push for RP was fueled by the passing of Assembly Bill 1729 (AB-1729), when the California Education Code changed to allow for alternative disciplinary actions. States nationwide have passed bills similar to AB-1729 and allowed schools to use alternative punitive practices. Despite good natured intentions there were many faculty members who did not respond with enthusiasm and there has since been an uphill battle in trying to gain buy-in and increase understanding of RP from faculty members.
The goal while working in SLZUSD was to assess the needs of the existing RP program and to provide recommendations on support systems and tools to increase the socio-emotional competency of teachers and improve the overall effectiveness of the program. The focus was on the teacher's role in the successful delivery of RP and what hindrances or external factors could be interfering with their views and attitudes about RP and its value. The underlying focus of the fieldwork as well as RP was to promote and maintain equality and positive learning for all pupils.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Tuning \"The System\": An Evaluation or Restorative Practices in San Lorenzo School District"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Kathy Raffel","Kelly L'Engle"],"dc:creator":["White, Amber"],"dc:date.available":["2016-08-09T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["In 2013, The Director of Student Support Services for the San Lorenzo Unified School District (SLZUSD) implemented a Restorative Practices program in an effort to improve relationships on campus and decrease suspension and expulsion rates in SLZUSD. The Directors push for RP was fueled by the passing of Assembly Bill 1729 (AB-1729), when the California Education Code changed to allow for alternative disciplinary actions. States nationwide have passed bills similar to AB-1729 and allowed schools to use alternative punitive practices. Despite good natured intentions there were many faculty members who did not respond with enthusiasm and there has since been an uphill battle in trying to gain buy-in and increase understanding of RP from faculty members.
The goal while working in SLZUSD was to assess the needs of the existing RP program and to provide recommendations on support systems and tools to increase the socio-emotional competency of teachers and improve the overall effectiveness of the program. The focus was on the teacher's role in the successful delivery of RP and what hindrances or external factors could be interfering with their views and attitudes about RP and its value. The underlying focus of the fieldwork as well as RP was to promote and maintain equality and positive learning for all pupils.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/374"],"dc:subject":["Community-Based Learning","Education","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research","Educational Psychology","Mental and Social Health","Public Health and Community Nursing","Special Education and Teaching","Student Counseling and Personnel Services"],"dc:title":["Tuning \"The System\": An Evaluation or Restorative Practices in San Lorenzo School District"],"thesis:degree_level":["Project/Capstone - Global access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Behavioral Health (MSBH)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:43:40Z"}