Restorative Practice Coaches
this year-long restorative practices cohort is the next step in your trauma-informed journey
Designed for teams to transform whole schools but still practical for educators transforming one classroom.
We’re excited to announce our
2026-2027 RPC Cohort dates!
June 8-10, 2026
Hutchinson Kansas
Build momentum, not burnout.
Option 1
Send a team of 3–5 educators per building that includes one administrator for FREE to this year-long learning support experience. You’ll turn ideas into fully-prepared boots-on-the-ground support in your buildings.
Price: $3600
Not only do you get these 3 summer dates, but also three scheduled PLC connections with other schools during the school year, and unlimited coaching support throughout the entire 2026-27 school year!
Option 2
Send one teacher to learn how to transform a classroom to this year-long learning support experience. You’ll turn ideas into fully-prepared boots-on-the-ground support in your building.
Price: $1000
Not only do you get these 3 summer dates, but also three scheduled PLC connections with other practitioners during the school year, and unlimited coaching support throughout the entire 2026-27 school year!
Building Stronger School Communities Through Restorative Practices
Restorative practices shift the focus from punishment to connection. Instead of simply issuing consequences, we prioritize building relationships, repairing harm, and resolving conflict through open dialogue.
Why Choose a Restorative Approach?
Traditional punitive measures rarely result in long-term behavior change. By addressing the root causes of conflict, we foster an environment where students and staff thrive.
Builds Empathy: Students learn to understand the impact of their actions.
Promotes Accountability: Focuses on making things right rather than just "serving time."
Strengthens Relationships: Proactively creates a supportive network before issues escalate.
Constructive Growth: Equips the entire school community with skills to handle challenges effectively.
From Discipline to Development
At their core, these practices are concrete skills designed to prevent disruptions. Grounded in the Five Dimensions of Accountability (A. K. Koppell, 2005), this model recognizes that punitive approaches are often least effective for the students who need support the most.
Our implementation focus is to:
teach advocacy, conflict resolution, and self-regulation skills.
expand educators’ toolkits for classroom management and academic engagement.
provide clear, consistent processes for addressing misconduct.
strengthen relationships with students who struggle to feel connected to their school community.
guide students in taking responsibility and repairing the harm caused by their actions.
To truly adopt this model, we must change how we view conflict. It isn’t just a problem to be solved; it’s a doorway into the rupture-and-repair cycle, a process that strengthens positive school culture.
This shift allows both staff and students to develop the essential mindsets, skills, and strategies that increase every individual's sense of:
Safety
Belonging
Dignity
The foundation of restorative practices is relationships.
Our Restorative Practice Coaches (RPC) framework is grounded in the science of adversity and resilience, with up-to-date practices informed by the ever-expanding research of the brain, the nervous system, and the stress response system. Research shows that these systems thrive when supported by safe, caring adult relationships and purposeful opportunities for skill building.
The Restorative Practices Coaching Cohort
To help schools move from research and theory to practical action at the classroom level, the ESSDACK Resilience Team has created a year-long cohort program designed to guide schools through the implementation of restorative practices with ongoing support.
Using restorative practices helps students face their actions and work through actionable consequences that are designed to repair harm, grow self-efficacy, and teach responsibility.
Program Highlights
Face-to-Face Training: Launch with three in-person days (June 8-10, 2026, in Hutchinson, Kansas).
Summer Virtual Support: Four July Zoom sessions to guide your team in building a school-wide professional learning plan ready for the 2026–27 school year.
12-Month Action Plan and Implementation Framework: Each team will build and implement a tailored plan for implementation back home with ongoing coaching support from the ESSDACK team.
School Year PLCs: Three additional Zoom gatherings for cross-team learning, celebration, and problem-solving during implementation.
Daily In-House Support: Access to ESSDACK consultants and national experts for timely, personalized conversations and real-time guidance.
Skills and Practices You’ll Build
Your building team will gain the tools and confidence to holistically implement restorative practices, including:
Use of Circles (community, focus, restorative)
On-Call Systems
Respect Agreements
Students of Concern process
Restorative Questions
Re-Entry process
Emotional Check-Ins
Staff Wellness
Why Join the 2026–27 Cohort?
This program is the next step in your trauma-informed journey. By joining, your school will develop a team of trained coaches and facilitators, equipped with the tools, strategies, and support needed for success. With both structured training and personalized support, your staff and students will gain the tools to create a culture of dignity, accountability, and resilience.
This is a building-wide approach. Full administrator support and building buy-in are essential before implementation. Unsure of your building buy-in? Contact us! We can help support you to achieve success.
If you’re ready for tools that support your staff and students every day—with expert partnership at your side—then the Restorative Practices Coaching Cohort is for you.
ESSDACK Restorative Practices Team
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Carmen Zeisler
Restorative Practices Coach
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Ginger Lewman
Trauma / Resilience Coach