Dr. Nicholas Steffner (Free Event)

Session Description

Beyond the Circle: Building the Structures That Sustain Restorative School Communities Restorative practices don't become part of a school’s culture through isolated circles, trainings, or disciplinary responses—they require intentional structures that let the work live throughout the organization. In this session, Dr. Nicholas Steffner will explore how school leaders can move restorative practices from an initiative to an integrated way of leading, teaching, and building community. Drawing from his work implementing restorative practices at the middle school level, he will examine the structures that sustain the work, including Advisory, curriculum development, teacher and team leadership structures, departmental collaboration, Fair Process, and the intentional use of circles with adults. Participants will consider how leaders can create the conditions for staff to experience restorative practices themselves, develop shared ownership, strengthen relationships and voice, and ultimately model the practices they want adults to use with students. The session will provide a practical leadership framework for building restorative practices with people rather than simply implementing them for people. Dr. Nicholas Steffner is the Principal of Ridgedale Middle School in Florham Park, New Jersey, and Founder and Chief Training Officer of Restorative Leadership Consulting. A former teacher, school counselor, and assistant principal, Dr. Steffner has spent his career developing relationship-centered systems that strengthen school culture, student voice, belonging, and leadership. His doctoral research, Building Restorative School Communities: A Study on the Impact of Restorative Practices, examined the implementation and impact of restorative practices within a middle school community. Under his leadership, Ridgedale has developed a comprehensive restorative framework integrating proactive and responsive circles, Advisory, social-emotional learning, student leadership, curriculum, and restorative approaches to discipline and school culture. Dr. Steffner is a certified trainer of restorative practices and serves as a facilitator and curriculum coordinator for the New Jersey State Bar Foundation in Restorative Justice Tiers I–III and Educator Resilience. He provides professional development to educators and school leaders throughout New Jersey and nationally.