Panorama's Social-Emotional Learning surveys help educators measure many topics that are closely aligned to elements of restorative practice that are essential to equitable outcomes for students.
Restorative Practice (RP) is an emerging social science that studies how to strengthen relationships between individuals as well as social connections within communities. Though new to the social sciences, restorative practices have deep roots within indigenous communities throughout the world. Learn more about restorative practices here.
The aim of Restorative Practices is to develop community and to manage conflict and tensions by repairing harm and restoring relationships. The fundamental hypothesis is that human beings are happier, more cooperative, more productive, and more likely to make positive changes in their behavior when those in positions of authority do things with them, rather than to them or for them.
The table below outlines how specific topics from Panorama's Student Social-Emotional Learning Survey align with RP. Please note that this resource was developed in partnership with a school district and does not address all potential topics you might choose for your student SEL survey. To view all available questions and topics, you can review Panorama's SEL User Guide.
If you'd like to see more detailed, question level alignments, you can review this document from one of our partner districts that discusses both RP and PBIS.
| Panorama Survey Topic | Example Questions from Topic | Alignment to PBIS/RP |
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Growth Mindset Student perceptions of whether they have the potential to change those factors that are central to their performance in school. |
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RP, through affective language and questions, and the active speaking and listening inherent to circles, assists students in moving away from a fixed mindset towards a growth mindset as they better understand themselves and others. The circle process can be especially useful for reflection, goal-setting, and visioning, for successful navigation of academic challenges. The safe environments developed through RP support a mindset where mistakes and productive failure are no longer a source of shame, but rather a natural part of learning and development so students can take risks, be creative, and push the envelope of the Zone of Proximal Development/Difficulty. The responsible, collegial, community-oriented, and team dynamics of both PBIS and RP also enhance effort because teachers and peers are with students throughout this endeavoring. |
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Social Awareness How well students consider the perspectives of others and empathize with them. |
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Respect, kindness, care, and empathy explicitly value the worth of others. Sharing of self, or vulnerability, encourages the same in others, creating a sense of community. To sit in circle with others, as a part of a community, promotes this respect and acknowledgement of value in our shared humanity. These elements are the hallmark of the affective language and questions that inform RP. RP emphasizes the standards-based elements of Speaking and Listening. This process supports a sense of togetherness, inclusivity, sharing, empathy and the growth of knowledge - that we understand ourselves better as we learn to understand others. This all supports flexible and critical thinking and explicitly teaches and reinforces that difference invites dialogue - seek first to understand and then to be understood. |
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Self-Efficacy How much students believe they can succeed in achieving academic outcomes. |
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The “safe” environments developed through RP support a Growth Mindset where mistakes/productive failure are no longer a source of shame but rather a natural part of learning and development and where students can take risks, be creative, and push the envelope of the Zone of Proximal Development/Difficulty. Moreover the “With” elements of High Control/Expectations and High Support/Feedback central to RP both encourage student goal setting, time-management, and self-efficacy. The speaking and listening elements that are central to RP support the literacy, inquiry, and action that are critical to learning and long-term retention. In particular, the engaged action of speaking, listening, sharing, and working with others promotes retention. We learn and remember best what we “do”, and “doing” it with others only enhances the experience and memory. |
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Emotion Regulation How well students regulate their emotions. |
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RP develops self-knowledge, reflection, regulation, and management as practitioners, students and adults, grow to understand that emotions are only the expression of an underlying feeling that is caused by met or unmet need. This knowledge provides perspective by separating the deed from the doer. The job of caring adults is to ascertain and understand the met or unmet need. Affective questions are one tool for this, and similarly, facts and evidence are the tools of nonviolent communication. In short, knowledge is power, and power is calm. |
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Sense of Belonging How much students feel that they are valued members of the school community. |
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RP develops belongingness through their shared emphasis on positive relationships and actions within the boundaries and expectations established for a safe and healthy environment. Affective language and inquiry support the development of positive behavior and interactions supporting empathy, inclusiveness and care, borne of respect and through responsible citizenship. One of the primary outcomes of Restorative Circles is that these provide students with purpose, power, and place where they are able to share of and about themselves and listen to their peers sharing the same, creating a stronger sense of connection and shared community. |
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School Safety Perceptions of student physical and psychological safety while at school. |
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Nonviolent communication is implicit to Restorative Practices and emphasizes “I” statements, modeling ,and providing students with a framework and emotional vocabulary to resolve conflict through restorative dialogue. RP also emphasizes a community where students develop trust and care through shared experience, and dialogue enhancing empathy, belongingness, and value for self and for others. This imbues every interaction, creating genuine safety through the social capital built on our shared humanity and connection. RP seeks to ameliorate the potential for bullying across contexts with their emphasis on developing and supporting communities of Trust, Relationship, Care, Respect, and Kindness informed by enhanced empathy. |