Baltimore Community Fellowships
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Baltimore, Maryland
2006
Tonya Featherston is a former science teacher who became principal of the Thurgood Marshall Academy, a charter school in Washington, D.C. Her years in education taught her that many students feel disconnected from their school. "So many students feel that they do not have a voice when it comes to their education," she said.
Featherston came to believe that schools needed a dramatically new approach toward discipline. Under current practice, for example, if two students fought, they automatically would be suspended, a punishment that didn’t really solve the underlying conflict.
Featherston will use her fellowship to implement the Restorative Schools Project, aimed at helping school administrators, teachers and students change how they think about discipline and school culture. She will work at three schools: City Springs, Collington Square and Hampstead Hill Academy. "This approach gets at the heart of what causes the problem," she says.
It works this way: Sitting in chairs or on the floor, both parties meet in a "peace-keeping" or "peace-making" circle. They observe important ground rules—such as being respectful of each other. A "talking stick" gets passed around, and each person has a chance to openly discuss the issues. The circle doesn’t end until there is a plan for moving forward, often a written agreement. "This approach gives them a chance to clear the air and a better sense of each other," says Featherston.
