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.

CRE Conference Presentations
Strategies for Teaching Peace and CR in U.S. Undergraduate Environments
- Presented by: David Smith
- View Presentation and Abstract: Click Here
Successful Maryland School CRE Programs: Highlights of a Statewide Grants Program
- Presented by: Barbara Grochal, University of Maryland King Carey School of Law
- View Presentation and Abstract: Click Here
Safer Campuses: Prevention and Response to Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence and Stalking
- Presented by: Diane Docis, Katie Hanna, Alex Leslie, Beth Malchus
- View Presentation and Abstract: Click Here
Fairfax County Public Schools Conflict Resolution and Peer Mediation Training 2010
- Presented by: Joan Packer, Swaim Pessaud, Kristen John
- View Presentation and Abstract: Click Here
Horizon Community: Character Reformation and CRE in an Adult Prison
- Presented by: Madeleine G. Trichel, Marion Correctional Institution
- View Presentation and Abstract: Click Here
Cyberbullying & Relational Aggression: Who is it & What Can be Done?
- Presented by: Kimberly Mason, Laura Hammel, Amanda K. Brace, Rachel A. Vitale
- View Presentation and Abstract: Click 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 |
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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. | |
The Role of Restorative Justice in Teen Courts: A Preliminary Look | In March 2000, the American Probation and Parole Association convened a focus group to examine and discuss the role of restorative justice in teen court programs (also called youth and peer courts). The panel consisted of persons working actively in teen courts and persons working actively in more traditional restorative justice-based programs. This paper provides a brief overview of restorative justice principles and addresses several key issues the focus group members identified that serve as a promising foundation from which teen courts can begin to move toward integrating more restorative justice-based practices within their programs. Key issues discussed include how youth courts can rethink the role of victims and the community within their programs, how youth courts can alter the way that their proceedings and practices are structured, and how youth courts can rethink and redefine sentencing options so that they are based on the restorative justice philosophy. | |
PROS: Peaceful resolution for Oklahoma [high school] students | 106-page PDF manual designed to help teachers and trainers teach high school students the art of peer mediation. Includes definitions, exercises to improve communication skills, leadership and problem solving. | |
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. | |
Slouching towards inclusion | Pdf article from Conflict Management in Higher Education Report, Volume 2, Number 3, (May 2002), which discusses the need for diversity in the field of conflict resolution and examples of challenges and solutions when creating diversity within the conflict resolution team is a primary factor. | |
Multi-party roommate conflict | Pdf article from Conflict Management in Higher Education Report, Volume 5, Number 1, (Sept 2004), which presents a "roleplay for a graduate course in interpersonal and small group conflict resolution, while it could be used for a mediation roleplay, it's written to be a 4-5 person small group conflict with no formal, outside intervenor, the expectation is that students can represent the characters and still demonstrate conflict resolution skills." | |
Celebrating African American/Black leaders in history: Their religions and their legacy | 16-page PDF lesson plan in which students, (grades 6-12) are "introduced to several Black and African American leaders and learn about the influence of their religious beliefs on their activism and contributions to society. Students will learn biographical, historical and religious information associated with these leaders, peer-teach their findings, and gain a greater understanding of the overall historical context of their work through creating a class timeline." | |
Statement of restorative justice principles: As applied in a school setting: 2nd edition | 24-page PDF document of "Principles [which] form the basis for restorative practices in all settings, using all models, where the primary aims are to repair harm and promote dialogue ... Restorative practices are underpinned by a set of values, these include: Empowerment, honesty, respect, engagement, voluntarism, healing, restoration, personal accountability, inclusiveness, collaboration, and problem-solving." | |
Teaching about conflict through citizenship education | 18-page pdf article which examined "Through interviews and observations in case study primary and secondary schools in the West Midlands, we therefore explored what was understood by this notion of global citizenship, and under this umbrella, what it was that students and teachers thought should be learned, we found that the most outstanding concern for students was war and conflict – and in the current context, not just historically, after giving some detail of these concerns, this paper attempts to develop a typology of different ways that schools teach about conflict before making more general arguments about the importance of peace education within a citizenship education framework and the role of teachers in tackling both difference and indifference." | |
Non-violence in education | 79-page pdf manuscript published in cooperation with Institut de Recherche sur la Resolution Non-Violente des Conflits (IRNC), of which the author says, "These pages do not claim that merely placing the principle of non-violence at the heart of the educational project could be enough to solve them with ease. It is not our intention to teach teachers how to do their job. Our only aim is to urge them to look at their daily practices in the light of the principles and methods of non-violence. Perhaps we can all agree that when non-violence is possible, it is preferable. If so, and if non-violence is preferable, then it is up to us to do everything we can to make it possible. This study does not claim to be offering anything other than an exploration of the possibilities of non-violence." English translation of original French work. | |
Nonverbal communication for educators | Online learning module consisting of 14-sections "designed to introduce you to key ideas related to nonverbal communication, with a special emphasis on aspects of nonverbal communication that relate to teaching and learning in the classroom. By the completion of this learning module you should be able to: Understand the importance of nonverbal communication; State a definition of nonverbal communication and identify different types; Describe the purpose nonverbal communication serves in the communication process; Identify core nonverbal communication concepts that relate to classroom management; Understand Dyssemia (a condition related to the inability to read facial expressions) and its causes; Understand the use of DANVA as a tool for recognizing Dyssemia; Access simple activities and reference materials for creating your own teaching activities related to Nonverbal Communication." | |
Practicing peace: A peace education module for youth and young adults in Solomon Islands: 4th draft | 99-page word document developed "to help people resolve interpersonal and inter-group conflict through productive and peaceful strategies, and to teach young people how they can participate in public life. The module is intended for use with youth and young adults in community and school settings in Solomon Islands." Skill areas include: Understanding rights and responsibilities; Understanding cultural diversity; Restorative justice and reconciliation; Gender relationship skills; Ability to live with change; Leadership qualities Conflict prevention; Traditional definitions of peace; Understand[ing] interdependence between individuals and society and Respect[ing] different cultures." | |
Conflict negotiation skills for youth | 186-page PDF training manual on Conflict Negotiation Skills for Youth. The manual is directed at government and nongovernmental organization personnel working with young people. It presents a variety of participatory training methods and exercises. Users are encouraged to refine and adapt the materials. The contents are organized as follows: Conflict Negotiation Skills for Youth: Facilitator's Guide Section I: Youth and the conflicts they face in daily life, Session 1: Understanding youth, Session 2: Understanding conflict, Section II: Techniques for resolving intra-personal conflicts, Session 3: Self-awareness, Session 4: Communication, Session 5: Negotiation, Session 6: Mediation, Section III: Techniques for resolving group conflict, Session 7: Group building, Session 8: Team building and cooperation, and Session 9: Advocacy for youth development References. | |
Mediation: An effective way to restore collegiality & shared governance in dysfunctional university | Pdf article from Conflict Management in Higher Education Report, Volume 3, Number 1, (Oct 2002), which discusses the use of mediation to settle disputes among university personnel and reestablish collegiality. | |
SACSC Elementary unit and lesson plans | Web site developed by the Society for Safe and Caring Schools and Communities in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada whose mission "is to encourage home, school and community practices that teach, model and reinforce socially responsible and respectful behaviors, so that living and learning can take place in a safe, caring and inclusive environment. Achieving this mission requires the involvement not only of parents, teachers, and children, but of all the important adults in children’s lives." The site houses a number of lesson plans and educational units "focusing on adult modeling, the SACSC programs prevent negative social behavior through character education, conflict management training and building respect for diversity. They promote a problem-solving approach to discipline that encourages positive social behavior by expecting young people to fix the wrong they have caused, thereby learning from their mistakes." They focus on 5 topics: Living Respectfully; Developing Self-Esteem; Respecting Diversity and Preventing Prejudice; Managing Anger and Dealing with Bullying and Harassment; and Resolving Conflicts Peacefully for grades K-6. | |
Mediation on campus: A history and planning guide | Pdf article reprinted from the June/July 1991 Issue (Vol 33) of The Fourth R, The Newsletter of the National Association for Mediation in Education exploring the role of mediation at colleges and universities, with a list of questions that those thinking of starting mediation programs should ask themselves. | |
Campus conflict hotspot mapping | Pdf article from Conflict Management in Higher Education Report, Volume 3, Number 3, (May 2003), which discusses the idea of Hotspot mapping, the "opportunistic sampling of campus community members to get their input on where conflict occurs on campus and what its relative intensity may be." | |
Quick Guide to Implementing a Peer Mediation Program | A 7-page pdf providing a series of annotated questions designed to help a school plan for the implementation of a peer mediation program. Draws on the many years of experience gained at School Mediation Associates, a long-standing peer mediation advocacy and training organization. | |
VOV activities: Understanding the value of dialog, grades 7-12 | 13-page PDF document with a number of activities to aid secondary students in improving communication skills. | |
Restorative conferences resource kit | 60-page pdf resource kit for presenting restorative conferences which "(involves the gathering of those who have a stake in a particular troublesome situation, to talk together to find ways of making amends) ... the purpose of these conferences is to discuss what the problem might be and to pool ideas about what might be most helpful from here, for all concerned, from this pool of ideas should emerge a plan for restoration of the situation... These Conferences offer a helpful step forward by involving a range of participants who both contribute to and are affected by the situation at hand, they promote a spirit of open and direct conversation and add a human touch to the process of addressing transgressions... this Resource Kit represents the culmination of 18 months of work by a group whose links are with restorative justice, Maori protocols, and counsellor training with narrative therapy at the University of Waikato." Includes bibliography |