Nicholas Bradford: How Restorative Justice Transforms School Discipline into Lasting Learning

In this episode, Dr. John Schembari speaks with Nicholas Bradford - Founder at National Center for Restorative Justice - about how restorative justice can transform school culture by balancing accountability, relationship building, and community repair.

Together, they unpack what restorative practices look like in real classrooms and explore how schools can move from punitive discipline models to ones focused on learning, empathy, and responsibility.

• Redefining Discipline: Moving beyond punishment to accountability and relationship repair.

• Restorative Practices in Action: How “restorative conferences” differ from traditional discipline and what they look like in schools.

• Accountability with Compassion: Helping students author responsibility for their actions rather than simply “serve time.”

• Teacher Reflection: When adults also need to own their actions and model restorative behavior.

• Building Schoolwide Systems: Starting small with low-hanging fruit—such as relationship-building circles—and scaling to full restorative programs.

• The Role of Community: Involving students, staff, and parents in a culture of empathy and shared responsibility.

• Results in Practice: How schools implementing restorative justice have seen significant reductions in suspensions and improvements in climate surveys.

“Discipline is choosing what I want most over what I want right now.” — Nicholas Bradford

Nicholas Bradford LinkedIn Page

National Center for Restorative Justice