Restorative Practices In Action Restorative
Practices In Action G N I . S R E R G E W N H O I . C P S R A T E EM TE OW EN D P U M T E S 2021-2022
Impact Report 2021-2022 Impact 2021-2022 Impact
Our Mission
Cultivate the leadership of students in urban schools by developing a community of top-performing educators on a mission to re-envision and restore all that is possible with student voice, ownership, and empowerment in the classroom. 2 Our Mission
RESTORE AMPLIFY EMPOWER TRANSFORM 2 Our Mission 14 Our Model 4 Our Year 16 Our Teacher Impact 6 Our Team 18 Our Cohort Stories 18 Philly 10 Our Model 12 Our Theory 20 Phoenixville 22 Neubauer
24 Our Community 26 Our Finances
OurYear A Year in Review: Restoring Critical Hope
RPIA Teachers challenge the status quo of our schools. They defy the odds and empower students to do the same. This year proved to be one of the most difficult for teachers across the country. As students returned to school after virtual learning, teachers felt the weight of student trauma, COVID class quarantines, and district demands like never before. Our 55 RPIA Teachers were not immune to these struggles. And yet, in the midst of these pressures, RPIA Teachers came together and created a fundamentally different experience for themselves and their students. As one RPIA Teacher said at the end of this year: “This is the best year of teaching I’ve had in 17 years...during a school year where so many said it was their worst year...and that’s because of RPIA.” How did we accomplish this? How, as over half of our nation’s teachers consider leaving, are 95% of our teachers staying? How, as student behaviors spike in schools due to the trauma of COVID, are our RPIA students leading and achieving in ways that our teachers never saw before, not even in the years prior to virtual learning? We did it by coming together as a community rooted in critical hope. Critical hope is no ordinary hope, just like RPIA Teachers are no ordinary teachers. This form of hope, studied and coined by Dr. Jeff Duncan-Andrade, acknowledges the hardships people face and then brings people together as a community to create RPIA Founder Claire Miller and one of real solutions in response to those hardships. This is the hope that inspired RPIA her high school students Teacher Ms. Breuer to facilitate after lunch community circles with her 6th graders
4 Our Year
that resulted in a student advocacy coalition; this is the hope that grounded RPIA Teacher Ms. Joyce when she was transferred to a tumultuous kindergarten class overnight after their third teacher of the year resigned- and then empowered them to help each other achieve unprecedented academic growth; this is the hope that brought RPIA Teacher Ms. Davies into the community of colleagues she needed as she transformed her freshman science classroom into a place of authentic joy and empowerment with students who started the year self-proclaiming that they were the worst students in the high school. On their own, the past year felt impossible for every RPIA Teacher: together, they restored more than people thought was possible within their students and themselves. And that is what I hope you see as you read our impact report. I hope you are inspired by what we are building as we bring local community partners, teachers, and students together to cultivate student leaders. I hope you see the movement growing in this city, standing on the shoulders of our first RPIA Teachers and looking ahead to welcome over 100 new RPIA Teachers next school year. I hope you are reminded of the incredible leaders walking into our schools each day. Here is to the hope we restored together this school year. I am so proud to stand with our RPIA community and share our results with you as, together, we continue to restore all that is possible with student voice, ownership, and empowerment in our city.
Joyful in the work,
Claire Miller
SXSW EDU Presentation “Community Classrooms: A Radical Learning Model” RPIA, We Love Philly, Travis Manion Foundation Our Year 5
Our Growing Team Our Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors bring diverse skills, perspectives, and life experiences to the table as we all work together to create and sustain excellence in our organization. This excellence includes the decision to always have an RPIA Student, currently represented by Jaleel, and an RPIA Teacher, currently represented by Andrew, as board members. We are proud to sit alongside each other in this work as we build Restorative Practices in Action.
Claire Miller Founder and CEO
Jaleel Townsend Board Vice President
Andrew Demuro Board Member
6 Our Team
Natalie Williams Board Member
John Paul Brennan Board Member
Sharifa Edwards Board Member
Tynecia Wilson Board Member
RPIA Coaches
Our RPIA Coaches are previous RPIA Teachers who were selected by their peers as teacher-leaders who go above and beyond to empower their students and embody our organization’s core values. RPIA Coaches continue their work as teachers and co-facilitate our monthly cohort sessions, serving as examples of what it looks like to bring our mission to life in the classroom.
“ Sarah Waslow-Washington RPIA Coach
Joshua Chaney RPIA Coach
Janae Hoffler RPIA Coach
Robyn Joyce RPIA Coach
Dan Kessler RPIA Coach
Kate Webb RPIA Coach
Ryan Donovan RPIA Coach
Karen Davies RPIA Coach
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Amy Didona RPIA Coach
I am excited to join RPIA as a coach to help guide my coworkers through the mindset shift that I experienced during my time in RPIA Our Team 7
Student to Staff Pipeline Radically Preparing Changemakers
We are committed to challenging the status quo of the education system in everything we do: including who and how we hire. In partnership with our RPIA Community Partners, we actively recruit and train Philadelphia high school students to join our team as a Student to Staff pipeline participant. Through this program, we seek to manifest our mission as students begin as paid interns while still in high school before becoming independent contractors who take on more hours and then full time staff members if they choose to apply for the roles that will be created in our growing organization.
RPIA Intern
Independent Contractor
Thayid Wilson RPIA Intern Mary Brooks RPIA Intern
8 Our Team
Full Time Employee
New to Our Team
Victoria Rodriguez
Why did you choose to join the RPIA Team? Teacher professional development is a true passion of mine. A teacher's personal and professional investment in educating students is directly linked to the impactful changes reflected in student achievement. RPIA's "3C Cycle of Teacher Learning" supports and challenges educators to be exceptional, and our students deserve nothing less than that. I'm honored to be part of a team that propels this process!
Which one of our RPIA Core Valeus resonates the most with you and why? Transforming classrooms through student empowerment, specifically in the area of Student Voice, is an RPIA core value that resonates with me the most. When stakeholders prioritize and highlight opportunities for students to identify a “sense of self”, a student’s voice becomes the most pivotal part of their ability to advocate for themselves in and out of the classroom. Student leadership starts with every student finding and celebrating their voice.
Victoria Rodriguez RPIA Director of Program Design and Implementation
How will your experience as an educator and school leader show up in your work as our first RPIA Director of Program Design and Implementation? As an educator and school leader, I am committed to creating equitable learning opportunities for diverse populations of students. I have worked alongside families, community partners, administrators, and instructional staff for the past 12 years to ensure students have access to instruction that is inclusive, dynamic, and engaging. My unique background in urban and special education will support the collaborative work I engage in as RPIA’s first Director of Program Design and Implementation. Our Team 9
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I went from being a controlling teacher to an empowering teacher...that made all the difference Current RPIA Teacher
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Our 3C Cycle of Teacher Learning © Our model of teacher development integrates research-based best practices in adult learning and community organizing at every level. From the design of our monthly teacher cohort sessions to the facilitation of our 1-on1 coaching sessions to the content that guides Monthly Classroom Culture Plan development, we believe in learning from what works well and strategically applying it to our work with our cohort. 10 Our Model
Our Model Reflect with Coalition
Re-envision with Community
Restore with Coaching
RPIA Teachers engage in this cycle every month for a total of 25+ hours of high quality professional development in one school year. Our cycle of learning aligns with research about professional learning communities from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the practice-based teacher learning methods spearheaded by the University of Washington.
Our Model 11
Our Theory
12 Our Theory
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RPIA has not only changed my teaching, it’s changed my life. It’s changed the way I see my students and the way I see others in my life Current RPIA Teacher
of Change Redefine the Vision of a Transformative Classroom
Restorative Practices in Action challenges high performing urban educators to redefine the vision of a transformative classroom culture by providing community-based learning experiences that allow teachers to create a space that cultivates student voice, ownership and empowerment.
Implement Empowering Theories of Classroom Management As our teachers reorient their mindsets around the role of student leadership in the classroom, they implement empowering theories of classroom management that transform efficient discipline structures into authentic learning experiences for both students and teachers.
Achieve Full Leadership Potential As a result of this development, our teachers create classroom cultures that ensure students can see and achieve their full leadership potential.
Our Theory 13
Our Cohorts Philadelphia
13 Classrooms 4 Schools 200+ students K - 11th Grade
Phoenixville 23 Classrooms 5 Schools 400+ students 5th - 12th Grade
Neubauer
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14 Classrooms 5 Schools 300+ students 2nd - 8th Grade
EMPOWERING TEACHERS. EMPOWERING STUDENTS. This class created the space for me to come out to my classmates and share my voice. It felt amazing to share it with them 5th grader at RPIA Philly School
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I help friends in my class focus in small groups now to make sure they do well instead of just making them laugh. We are all in this together and I want to look out for them 12th grader at RPIA Phoenixville School
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We used to be known as the worst class in the school and now we’re a family! 8th grader at RPIA Neubauer School Our Cohorts 15
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Our Teacher Impact
In a nationwide survey, 55% of teachers are considering an exit from the profession of education (National Education Association, 2022).
Our Teachers Challenge That
95% 74% 40%
RPIA Teachers cite RPIA as a reason why they are staying cite RPIA as a top reason
So many teachers have said this was their toughest year of teaching, but for me this has been my best year of teaching in 17 years. This has been my best year because I was in RPIA Current RPIA Teacher
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total RPIA Teachers staying in their school
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The way I am empowered in RPIA has given me a clear example of how I can empower my students, and I do that now Current RPIA Teacher
Our Impact 17
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Our Stories
Philadelphia Cohort
One of my students has changed immensely throughout my time in RPIA. In the beginning of the year, he was hitting other students and cursing. He had a lot of negative self-talk. By the end of RPIA, he became a leader in my classroom. I was able to count on him to do the right thing before any of my other students. He no longer hit or cursed at the other kids. He made great friendships! He also became very confident in himself and only used positive self-talk. I was so proud of him and how much he grew! Robyn, Teacher Lewis Cassidy Elementary
Craziness to Community Read more of Robyn’s Story here
16 Our 18 Stories Our Stories - Philadelphia - Philadelphia
92% of RPIA Philly Classrooms saw “significant” decrease in disruptive student behavior and an increase in student leadership behavior within two months of implementing RPIA strategies. 75% of RPIA Philly Teachers were ranked top-tier in academic growth in their school
Our Stories 19
Our Stories
Phoenxiville Cohort
I am extremely grateful to be in this cohort. As I am sure educators across the world agree, 2020-2021 was a year that made me reconsider if I truly was meant to be a teacher. I discussed my fears with my supervisor, as the thought of leaving education seemed not just life-altering, but devastating to me. She assured me I was making the right choice to be in this cohort. RPIA has fundamentally renewed my purpose, and made me fall in love with teaching again. That’s not small stuff, and much of the credit is due to the reflection you inspired, the internal work necessary to fully make meaning of RPIA. I have been engaging in acts of meditation and mindfulness for months now, since RPIA began this year, and every facet of my professional and personal life has improved. It’s incredible how life gives you exactly what you need when you ask for it with pure intention. I am so appreciative that this cohort gives us room to challenge our personal limitations in such a safe space. I am inspired by others in our cohort with what they do and who they are. Karen, Teacher Phoenixville High School
It Takes a Village to Raise a Teacher Read more of Karen’s Story here
20 Our Stories - Phoenixville
100% of RPIA Phoenixville Classrooms in elementary and middle schools saw increased attendance 93% of RPIA Phoenixville Classrooms achieved accelerated academic growth
Our Stories 21
Our Stories
Neubauer Cohort This year, obviously, was one of the toughest school years in my career. In November, there was a fight in my classroom, which had not happened in the eight years I’d been at my school. Because it was in the cohort that I chose to focus on through RPIA, I had the skillset to be able to address this fight and the culture that existed in our class differently than I might have otherwise. After a few circles that I ran with the two other members of our RPIA cohort, and a meeting with that cohort and all of their teachers, we slowly started to see dramatic gains. Where before students had been combative with each other and only interested in their own individual performance, they started asking each other for help and being genuinely interested in helping each other. By the end of the year, we asked students for feedback about how they had grown this year, and multiple students said, “We used to be the worst class, and now we are a family.” Emily, Teacher
A Tale of Two Cohorts
Read Emily’s Story here
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Freire Middle School
Amplifying Student Voices
Students responding with “strongly agree” to the following statements increased over the course of RPIA I am a valuable member of our class community I use my voice to help others in this class I know what to do or say if I need to learn differently
86% 77% 69%
43% 22% 18%
79% of Neubauer Classrooms saw an increase in student leadership At Neubauer Schools, RPIA directly helped redesign 9 school systems
Our Stories - Neubauer 23
Our 22-23 SY Partner Schools Philadelphia Schools Alain Locke School Lewis Cassidy Elementary Overbook Educational Center Memphis Street Academy Blaine Elementary Morrison Elementary Overbrook School for the Blind Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures School Freire Middle School Freire High School Freire Tech High School Freire Wilmington Belmont Academy HS Belmont Academy MS Global Leadership Academy Southwest Ad Prima Charter School Independence Charter School Universal Bluford Charter School New Foundations Charter School
100% of our Partner Schools are returning to RPIA for the 22-23 School Year This symbol recognizes schools participating in RPIA for the second year in a row
Phoenixville Schools Phoenixville HS Phoenixville MS Barkley Elementary Manavon Elementary Schuylkill Elementary Phoenixville Early Learning Center
Our Community
Virtual National Cohort Schools Honors Academy of Literature, NV, Excel Academy of Englewood, IL East Baton Rouge Parish School System, AL
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Our Community Partners PHILLY
We honor our community, working from the belief that our community members – the ones who walk alongside our students every day – hold the vision to all that is possible with our students. Community Experiences to Challenge Excellence are the foundational, innovative spaces we design with local organizations every month to push our teachers to see student strengths in new ways and re-envision student voice, ownership, and empowerment in the classroom. Our Community Partners make our work possible because they challenge us to see the full humanity and power of our students. We are proud to learn from and partner with these community leaders.
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I love how I felt connected to the group, and like a family, right away. We Love Philly
Community Partner
Change Your School by Walking Down the Street Watch RPIA Founder Claire Miller’s TEDx Talk 25
Our Finances 400 350
Donor Support
Total Revenue $387,000 $17,500
Grant Support Earned Revenue
300
In Kind Donations
$151,000
250 200
Total Revenue $189,000 $15,000
150
$65,000 $218,500
100 50 0 26
Total Revenue $48,000
$109,000
2020-2021 Fiscal Year
2021-2022 Fiscal Year
2022-2023 Fiscal Year
Thank You to Our Generous Supporters As we look ahead to an exciting new year of growth and impact, we look back and acknowledge the incredible support of every person reading this impact report. Thank you for your commitment to our students. Together, we will re-envision and restore all that is possible with student leadership in Philadelphia.
Our Finances 27
EMPOWERING TEACHERS. EMPOWERING STUDENTS. rpinaction.org cmiller@rpinaction.org facebook.com/Restorative-Practices-in-Action
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