Restorative Justice Conference to Focus on Clergy Sex Abuse

It is not just an American problem – it is an international issue for the Catholic Church. This year’s Marquette Law School Restorative Justice Conference on April 4 & 5, 2011, will focus on Harm, Hope, and Healing: International Dialogue on the Clergy Sex Abuse Scandal.

Those attending will be able to hear the stories of victims as well as those who are working with victims from Boston, Ireland, and Australia.  Also a group of clergy will speak from the heart about what they have learned.

Marquette Law School’s Restorative Justice Initiative (RJI) is a unique model demonstrative of the university’s commitment as a Catholic, Jesuit institution to promote excellence, faith, leadership, and service.  RJI educates law students as leaders who can bring together victims, offenders, and other community members to focus on resolving harm and conflict in our communities. Whereas the traditional justice system is retributive in nature, restorative justice is a process that creates a safe environment for dialogue, helping communities share their experiences.  The process has been shown to decrease recidivism, create cost efficiencies in the court system, provide improved outcomes for clients and victims, and change the face of judicial practice in the resolution of crime.

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The Morning After: Lessons From the Wisconsin Budget Battle

At last the end game has arrived for the budget bill, after more than three weeks of deadlock in Madison.  Indeed, it was obvious to everyone that the impasse could not persist, and that the only two options available were either a compromise (unlikely) or the eventual adoption of Governor Walker’s bill intact.

Wisconsin’s largest newspaper, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, has largely failed to take a coherent editorial position on the budget debate.  In fact, the entire local media, both print and television, seem to have bent over backwards in order to appear sympathetic to the arguments of both sides.  In this regard, the local media seems to see its role as something akin to the role of an arms dealer during a civil war: issue statements generally supportive of both sides and hope to sell your product to the widest possible audience. 

However, I believe that there are larger lessons to be learned from the budget battle, and that the issues raised over the last three weeks transcend partisanship. 

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Doing the Basics Right: Wendy Kopp on the Road to Education Transformation

I remember watching a television interview in which a famous tennis player described his first appearance in a big-time tournament. He said he always wondered what was said during breaks in such matches when the player and his coach conferred. He figured there must be some kind of sophisticated strategy talk fit for the top of the sport. But when he came to the first pause in the action, what did the coach tell him? Keep your eye on the ball. Swing smoothly. Concentrate. Which, of course, is what you would tell anyone playing tennis.

There are no magic tricks, no silver bullets. Do the basics, and do them well.

That was a central theme of Wendy Kopp, the founder and CEO of Teach for America, during an “On the Issues with Mike Gousha” visit to Eckstein Hall this week. Teach for American now has more than 8,00o “corps members” working in high-needs schools across the US, including in Milwaukee.

Kopp, one of the most influential figures on America’s education scene in the last 20 years, gave a decidedly optimistic message about the future – or possible future – for the education of students in schools that have long been associated with poor outcomes. One of her favorite words is “trajectory,” and she is convinced that the trajectory of millions of children can be changed so that they are on a path to academic success.

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