Morningside Center Professional Development

Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility provides comprehensive professional development in social-emotional learning (SEL), restorative practices, and racial equity for schools primarily across New York City. As the NYC Department of Education's lead partner for introducing restorative practices into public schools, Morningside Center has trained thousands of educators through their intensive workshop model, reaching tens of thousands of students across the city. Morningside Center's professional development includes their foundational 5-day training in SEL, restorative practices, and racial equity, as well as advanced Tier 2 training for educators ready to deepen their restorative practice skills. Their approach centres on preparing school staff to facilitate daily or weekly restorative circles using Morningside Center's own curricula—The 4Rs, C Squad, and Building Belonging—which integrate social-emotional skill development with academic learning. The training combines interactive workshops with ongoing coaching, helping schools build the capacity to create more inclusive, equitable, and relationship-centred learning environments. Schools that have implemented Morningside Center's restorative practices model have seen measurable improvements in school climate and significant reductions in suspensions, demonstrating the power of moving from punitive to restorative approaches to student behaviour and community building.