The Los Angeles Institute for Restorative Practices

The Los Angeles Institute for Restorative Practices (LAIRP) is an organization dedicated to promoting and implementing restorative practices in schools, communities, and organizations. These practices are designed to build relationships, foster a sense of belonging, and address conflicts or harm through dialogue and mutual understanding. Fostering more supportive and sustainable environments in both educational and community settings allows those in the organization to thrive.

Become A Right-Brain Organization

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Four-Tier Approach

LAIRP supports organizations and schools move towards become right-brain oriented. LAIRP's for teachers support in building capcity, community, and cohesion as schools transition towards becoming a right-brain restorative organization. Tier I, Building, focuses on creating psychological safety and trust. Tier II, Connecting, deepens this foundation by fostering participation and shared purpose. Tier III, Relating, emphasizes authentic relationships, empathy, and restorative responses to conflict. Finally, Tier IV, Transforming, embeds these practices into leadership and decision-making for lasting cultural change. Each tier builds on the last, guiding schools toward meaningful, systemic transformation through right-brain restorative practices.

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Research and Application

School systems are progressively shifting toward the idea of relationship-building and social-emotional awareness as essential pathways to academic success. These efforts nurture a strong student growth mindset and help create robust institutions where character development and resilience can thrive. Furthermore, a culture of connectedness is cultivated, profoundly shaping the daily school climate and supporting long-term well-being. Unfortunately, recent events—such as school shootings, rising mental health crises, and increased incidents of bullying—have instilled fear in many youth, causing them to view school as unsafe. This mindset activates stress responses, often exacerbating behaviors. Right Brain Restorative Practices (RBRP) provide schools tools for growth, regulation, and emotional awareness.

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Trackable Results

LAIRP has a proven track record of helping schools align their PBIS and MTSS systems while integrating restorative practices that strengthen campus culture. Through coaching and on-site modeling, LAIRP supports schools in creating consistent expectations, clear intervention pathways, and proactive approaches to student behavior. Central to this work are restorative proactive circles and structured harm-repair circles, which help students build relationships, understand impact, and resolve conflict productively. Schools working with LAIRP consistently report fewer suspensions and referrals, along with improved feelings of safety, belonging, and engagement. The result is a more connected, supportive, and accountable school community.

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Testimonials

The LAIRP team creates an environment where they are side by side with our team doing the work. There are no egos and a total focus on the needs of the students. The LAIRP team means business, but supports the work with passion and knowledge.

LAIRP has helped to reignite the passion and connection needed to work with students who struggle traditionally. LAIRP has created a sense of excitement and purpose to the work and energized the entire staff.

Dr. Greg Cleave

Lake Elsinore, Director

I am in charge of discipline and behavior management and was using old-school practices of finding the violation of rules in the handbook and applying the appropriate consequence. It was often a "dart throw" to align the "punishment with the crime" and hoping parents would be happy and accept it. When I first heard about Restorative Practices, I was very skeptical. I didn’t believe they could truly change student behavior or resolve conflicts. However, witnessing my first restorative conference completely changed my perspective. I saw two teenage boys, after a serious fight, ask for forgiveness and embrace each other. That moment brought tears to my eyes and made me a believer in the power of this approach. Since then, our school has overhauled its behavior management system, and I’ve been instrumental in implementing Restorative Practices school-wide. Every time I sit down with a parent to discuss misbehavior, the conversation now ends with a handshake and genuine thanks. Parents can feel that we are committed to the well-being of their child, and they appreciate that our focus is on repairing relationships and not just handing out consequences.

James Bandura

The Columbus School, Assistant Principal

Working with Carlos Alvarez was an incredibly enriching experience. His expertise and passion for restorative justice were evident from the start. Carlos created a welcoming and supportive environment, encouraging open dialogue and active participation among all of us. His training sessions were not only informative but also interactive and engaging. Carlos used various teaching methods that catered to different learning styles, making complex concepts accessible and relatable. He was patient and attentive, always ready to address our questions and concerns. Carlos’s ability to connect with participants personally fostered trust and collaboration, allowing us to dive deep into the subject matter. I walked away not just with knowledge, but also with a renewed sense of purpose and practical tools to implement restorative practices in our school. Overall, it was a transformative experience that I highly value.

Tommy Meyers

All Saints Academy, Principal

We reached out to Carlos and LAIRP to help us strengthen the relevance and pertinence of our approach and protocol for student behavior management. We decided to revamp our system and protocol to intervene what we classify as minor behavioral disruptions. We had been working with other consultants on various conceptual frameworks and current trends in this area. At that point we needed support with practical strategies we could implement to accomplish the vision of change we had identified. I think that the LAIRP team goes the extra-mile to understand your community and provide support in what you need. In addition, their practical approach conveys optimism and enthusiasm to leaders, staff and teachers , inspiring confidence in what may seem like a daunting task: promoting a mind shift change regarding a school's approach to student behavior.

Dr. Anabella Martinez

School Director, Marymount Barranquilla