Policymakers and Administrators

Welcome to the Conflict Resolution Education Connection’s resources for policymakers and administrators. Our goal is to provide information that will support administrators interested in promoting or extending conflict resolution work within education. The sidebar menu to your right provides a listing of the content areas we focus on at this site.

A very young administrator working at desk

CRE Conference Presentations

Restorative Measures for School Connectedness & Alternatives to Suspension

  • Presented by: Nancy Riestenberg
  • View Presentation and Abstract: Click Here

Conflict Management Skills as Leadership Competencies: A Higher Ed Success Model

  • Presented by: Harry Webne-Behrman
  • View Presentation and Abstract: Click Here

From the Ground Up: Lessons in Growing the Central Michigan Restorative Justice Initiative (CMRJI)

  • Presented by: Nancy Schertzing, Michigan State University
  • View Presentation and Abstract: Click Here

Creating and Promoting Positive School Climate in Ohio’s Schools

  • Presented by: Ohio Department of Education
  • View Presentation and Abstract: Click Here

Designing, Marketing and Implementing a School-Based Restorative Justice Program: Lessons Learned

  • Presented by: David T. Deal and Joan Packer
  • View Presentation and Abstract: Click Here

The Illinois Story

  • Presented by: Mary Utne O'Brien-CASEL, Chicago, USA
  • View Presentation and Abstract: Click Here

View More Presentations Here


Sample Catalog Resources

Below you'll find a randomized listing of up to 20 related items (we may have more...) drawn from our Resource Catalog.

Resource Title Description Links
Challenge to create a safer learning environment for youth, The 83-page PDF report which continues the author's "exploration of how violence affects learning and my search for effective approaches to support learning for those who have experienced violence ... I sought to learn more about how violence affects learning by interviewing young people who are currently struggling with learning, either within or outside the school system. I wanted to explore how responses to trauma support or limit learning possibilities by interviewing young people and professionals engaged in the school system and in other education for youth."
Hip-Hop artists: Lesson and activity excerpted from the Tanenbaum curriculum COEXIST 5-page PDF lesson plan in which students (grade 6-12), "will learn about stereotypes as well as how to identify and challenge their own biases. Students will also make connections to religion as an important aspect of identity and an influence within the realm of Hip-Hop."
Intake hints Pdf article from Conflict Management in Higher Education Report, Volume 2, Number 2, (Feb 2002), which examines intake procedures and scheduling issues for community mediation, based on work done by "Neighborhood Dispute Settlement Program of Dauphin County (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania), ... a community mediation program which receives referrals from criminal justice entities."
Restorative Justice: A Working Guide for Our Schools The purpose of this publication, available as a 43-page pdf, is to provide support and guidance for teachers, health workers, community leaders, and school personnel who seek to implement Restorative Justice in their schools. The guide introduces Restorative Justice concepts, articulates what is new about the approach, explores benefits, outcomes and impacts and provides guidance on initiating Restorative Justice at the school or district level. Also included are listings of resources for additional information and support.
Evaluation report: Life skills project implementation in the Armenian education system 45-page PDF report which "represents an evaluation of implementation of the Life Skills Project being conducted in the Armenian education system as [a] component of an overall effort in education reform ... the project was piloted in the first and fifth grades in 16 schools in 1999-2000. In 2000-2001 the project was expanded to 100 schools and to the second and sixth grades. UNICEF provided funding and some logistical support and the MOES provided administrative and logistical project support and workspace for the curriculum development team."
Inter-agency P.E.P.: Skills for constructive living: Manual for training of facilitators 2 50-page pdf manual which "is one of the components of the “Inter-Agency Peace Education Programme, the programme is designed for education managers of ministries dealing with both formal and non-formal education and for agencies which implement education activities on behalf of the government ... this manual has been written for you as a trainer of facilitators, it looks at “effective facilitation” and the skills required to develop effective facilitation, these skills are useful not just for a Peace Education Programme but also for all aspects of the professional life of the facilitators whom you are training."
Teaching global and local conflict in the classroom 24-page pdf document that accompanied a professional development program hosted by the World Affairs Council. Document consists of a list (with web addresses) of resources that relate to confict and conflict resolution. Recommend sites and sites that include lesson plans are noted.
Listening without formulas 15-page Powerpoint presentation given at the Sustaining Conflict Resolution Education: Building Bridges to the Future conference in Fairfax VA, which discusses the use of reflective listening, I-messages and paraphrasing in conflict resolution.
Fall interreligious festivity feast: Autumn -- thankfulness at harvest time 7-page PDF lesson plan to introduce children to, "different traditions’ fall festivity foods and use math skills to create their own menu."
Civil Discourse in the Classrooom This 23-page pdf curriculum "will introduce educators to basic tools for teaching civil discourse. It is not subject-specific; on the contrary, the tools of argumentation and discussion lend themselves to any subject in any classroom. Although it is primarily designed for young adolescents, the curriculum can be adapted for students of any age."
Physical and verbal bullying Web-based interative scenario which explores bullying.
Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL): Improving behaviour, improving learning This fully articulated curriculum resource from the United Kingdom is available as a 90MB zip file containing the full kit or as individual pdfs. It aims to develop the underpinning qualities and skills that help promote positive behaviour and effective learning. It focuses on five social and emotional aspects of learning: self-awareness, managing feelings, motivation, empathy and social skills. The materials help children develop skills such as understanding another's point of view, working in a group, sticking at things when they get difficult, resolving conflict and managing worries. They build on effective work already in place in the many primary schools who pay systematic attention to the social and emotional aspects of learning through whole-school ethos, initiatives such as circle time or buddy schemes, and the taught personal, social and health education (PSHE) and Citizenship curriculum. The materials are organised into seven themes: New Beginnings, Getting on and falling out, Say no to bullying, Going for goals!, Good to be me, Relationships and Changes. Each theme is designed for a whole-school approach and includes a whole-school assembly and suggested follow-up activities in all areas of the curriculum. The colour-coded resources are organized at four levels: Foundation Stage, Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4, and Years 5 and 6. Pupil reference material and photocopiable teacher reference material accompany each theme.
Addressing off-campus student conduct with restorative justice Pdf article from Conflict Management in Higher Education Report, Volume 6, Number 1, (Nov 2005), which introduces a program where "over 200 students ... participated in restorative justice, meeting face-to-face with community members, fellow students, and campus staff to resolve their cases at the neighborhood level, the results of their conference agreements include hundreds of hours of service in the neighborhoods affected (picking up litter, tutoring at a gradeschool, volunteering at the local library, serving meals to the homeless, etc.), plus written apologies, verbal apologies to neighborhood boards, outreach and education efforts on campus, and in some cases, self-help such as chemical dependency counseling."
Pre-Service Teacher Curriculum A 247-page pdf document containing a four module curriculum designed to provide pre-service teachers opportunities for analyzing the impact of self as an individual teacher in the classroom. This includes information on pursuing self- assessment, developing communication skills through active and reflective listening, rapport, and trust building, and defining the processes used in managing conflict. The curriculum is also designed to help pre-service teachers identify and strengthen skills used in effective communication to better manage conflicts, especially those in classrooms. Finally, the curriculum is intended to assist pre-service teachers with skills that will be developed through the use of conflict management strategies.
Diversity training Pdf article reprinted from Aug-Sept 1997 issue (Vol. 79 pp. 17-19) of The Fourth R, the Newsletter of the National Association for Mediation in Education, introducing The National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI), an international organization which leads diversity programs on college campuses.
Evaluation of the Truancy Prevention through Mediation Program (Ohio) 12-page pdf presents an evaluation of the Truancy Prevention through Mediation Program developed in Ohio. "Although the Truancy Prevention through Mediation Program (TPMP) has consistently demonstrated positive results in the effort to combat truancy, absent from these evaluations has been an examination of the impact of the program on the academic performance and behavior of the children whose families participate in the program. To fill this void, the Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and the Supreme Court of Ohio collaborated to commission an independent evaluation to ascertain answers to these questions." This report summarizes the findings from this study.
Evolution of the Role of Ombudsperson on University and College Campuses, The Pdf article reprinted from the February/March 1995 Issue (Vol 55) of The Fourth R, The Newsletter of the National Association for Mediation in Education which discusses the history and role of ombuds people in colleges and universities.
Creating harmony in the classroom: Building safe and inclusive classrooms for special populations 231-page pdf manual designed "to assist teachers with building an inclusive and safe classroom for all students, including special needs, deaf, and visually impaired youth. Teachers who build an inclusive and safe classroom environment are encouraging all youth to excel academically and socially." Includes chapters on building self-awareness in students, enhancing student's problem-solving skills, mediation in school settings, evaluting conflict resolution education programs and a chapter on resources.
Human rights education in the school systems of Europe, Central Asia and North America: A compendium 239-page PDF, "compendium of good practice [it] is a compilation of 101 examples of good practice in human rights education in primary schools,ssecondary schools and teacher training institutions ... the term "human rights education" is often used in this resource in a broader sense, to also include education for democratic citizenship and education for mutual respect and understanding, which are all based on internationally agreed human rights standards. These three areas are seen as interconnected and essential within educational systems in order to prepare youth to be active, responsible and caring participants in their communities, as well as at the national and global levels ... this book aims to support quality teaching in these areas and to inspire educational policymakers (those working in education ministries and local school boards) and administrators, teachers, teacher trainers, non-formal educators and all other interested actors, as well as to facilitate networking and the exchange of experience among education professionals." A companion website with additional examples and documents is available at http://bit.ly/2uUsv65
M.O.V.E.: Mind over violence everywhere 88-page PDF manual developed to provide learning materials on violence prevention for youth with low literacy skills. The objectives of M.O.V.E. are to: Increase awareness of violence and develop skills to prevent violence, increase literacy through non-traditional learning activities, encourage youth to participate actively and assist the facilitator in recording the workshop responses. The program is organized into five sections: Learning and thinking styles, Communication rights and responsibilities, Peer mediation, Resisting peer pressure and Social action.