Class Description - Restorative Practices Level 1 Certification, a Tier 1 approach

Course #: EDIA 613
Instructor: Nathan Kelley (kelley.nathan@iowacityschools.org)
Number of License Renewal/Graduate Credit Hours: 1
Registration Deadline: Last day to register is Friday, November 13th 2026 by 5:00 p.m.

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Big News! ISEA Graduate Credit is Back—and Better!

Ready to take the next step in your professional development? We've just launched an exciting partnership with Upper Iowa University to bring back Graduate Credit for ISEA Academy courses!

This collaboration provides two major wins for you:

More Affordable: We've successfully negotiated a lower cost per Graduate credit hour! Invest in your education without breaking the bank. (The new rate is in the "Fees" section at the top of the page.)
A Head Start on Your Degree: A select group of your ISEA Academy courses can now count as elective credit in an Upper Iowa University graduate program. Get credit for the professional learning you're already doing! (Don't forget to check with your program advisor for all the details!)

Important Note for Graduate Credit: To be eligible to receive Graduate credit through Upper Iowa University, you must possess a bachelor's degree from an institution that its regional accreditation association recognizes.

Course Schedule:

Join us for two interactive Saturday morning Zoom sessions designed to provide meaningful learning, collaboration, and practical strategies you can put to use right away. We'll meet from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on the following dates:

Saturday, November 14
Saturday, December 5

In addition to these two live Zoom sessions, the remainder of the course is self-paced, allowing you the flexibility to complete readings, assignments, and course activities on your own schedule throughout the course period.

Course Description:
This course focuses on the fundamentals of restorative justice, restorative practices, and relationship building for classroom teachers and service providers. It explores the role restorative practices play in relationship building and building capacity in dialogue around racial social justice. Participants will be able to:

● Identify parts of a restorative circle and types of circles

● Identify examples of restorative practices and justify their place in classroom/ school settings

● Name a systemic issue within their school district, organization, or school building, and create a plan of action to change the systems

(Plan and implement a tier one circle in your classroom or building.)

● Identify ways in which to engage students in restorative practices

Learning Objectives:

Learn and practice the goals for community-building circles: being seen, being heard, being known, and developing affection.

Learn the low-risk, relevant questions for a check-in round.

Experience and learn the process of setting group agreements or guidelines.

Experience the implicit questions of connection through scripted circles.

● “Who are these people?”

● “Will they see me in a way that feels good to me?”

● “Can they be trusted?”

● “What is my place among them?”

Learn and experience how circles may be used to resolve social problems and respond when harm occurs.

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**Important Information for You**
Please read through as these are Frequently Asked Questions in which answers can be found within this page.

1. The instructor will email you once your class registration has been processed and forwarded to him with information on how to get started in the class:

Emails regarding this class will come from the instructor with the email address kelley.nathan@iowacityschools.org;
Be sure to check your junk/spam/clutter folders-mailboxes in case the email address isn't recognized as a known address; and
IF YOU ARE USING A SCHOOL EMAIL ADDRESS, many schools have their network security filters set up to push unknown emails directly to spam and you will not even see it; if this is the case you will need to either talk to your IT department and request emails with the email address be allowed through or let us know you want to use a different email address.

2. The Tabs at the top of the registration page have important additional information regarding this class:

The Syllabus gives information of what will be expected of you in the course. Generally it will include course policies, rules and regulations, required texts, and a schedule of assignments;
The Fees will let you know how much this class will cost depending on the type of credit you want to take it for as well as if you are an ISEA Member or not;
The Cancellation Policy is important so you know how to cancel if you need to and how refunds are handled; and
The ISEA Official Transcript page tells you how to access your transcript once the class has ended.