Type of Organization: Non-governmental - Non-Profit

Home Country: United States

Overview

MORNINGSIDE CENTER for Teaching Social Responsibility educates young people for hopeful and intelligent engagement with their world. A national leader in fostering social and emotional learning (SEL), Morningside Center reaches tens of thousands of educators and students each year through an array of programs that develop such skills as handling anger, being assertive, solving conflicts creatively and nonviolently, and dealing well with diversity. The Centers helps teachers make their classrooms more caring and productive. They support students in taking leadership to improve their communities–from the classroom to the world.

In 1999, Morningside Center created The 4Rs Program (Reading, Writing, Respect & Resolution), which integrates conflict resolution and intercultural understanding into the language arts curriculum for grades K-5. Each grade, K-5, has its own 4Rs guide, covering seven key themes: community, feelings, listening, assertiveness, problem-solving, diversity, and making a difference. After reading and analyzing a carefully chosen children’s book, children learn conflict resolution skills related to the theme and apply the ideas and skills they’re learning to the challenges of creating community in their classroom. In 2003, they initiated a a major federally funded evaluation of The 4Rs in collaboration with researchers from New York University and Fordham University. Preliminary findings from this 3-year controlled study are quite positive.

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