Institutional evaluation – Conflict Resolution Education Connection

The Dignity in Schools Campaign Model Code on Education and Dignity

5 June 2016

The Dignity in Schools Campaign Model Code on Education and Dignity presents a set of recommended policies to schools, districts and legislators to help end school pushout and protect the human rights to education, dignity, participation and freedom from discrimination. The Code is the culmination of several years of research and dialogue with students, parents, educators, advocates and researchers who came together to envision a school system that supports all children and young people in reaching their full potential. Five chapters organize the 104 page document. They cover Education, Participation, Dignity, Freedom from Discrimination, and Monitoring and Accountability.

In October 2013, DSC released a new revised version of the Model Code, which includes new sections on: social and emotional learning, prevention and response to bullying behavior, reducing tickets and summonses issued in school, reducing racial disparities in discipline through culturally responsive classroom management, creating safe schools for LGBTQ students and other topics. A community toolkit was also created to help groups make good use of the Model Code. It is available separately.

Developing and Assessing School Culture: A New Level of Accountability for Schools

16 August 2010

This 8-page CEP position paper argues that education in our nation is at a defining moment, one with the potential to reshape our national conversation about school improvement. Successful schools–ones that foster both academic excellence and ethics–have positive school cultures (or “climates”). CEP defines a positive school culture broadly to include all aspects of school life, including a safe and caring environment, a powerful pedagogy and curriculum, student motivation and engagement, professional faculty culture and relational trust, parent partnerships, and community collaboration. The paper presents case studies and educational research showing the impact of school culture on students’ academic achievement and social behavior. Because a positive school culture is central to student success, the authors argue we must address how to help all schools develop effective cultures. Since what gets measured matters, schools must also be held accountable for having positive school cultures and must have tools for assessing their culture. If we are to prepare students to be lifelong learners and 21st century ethical citizens, we must develop a new “school report card” that includes not only test scores but also concrete indicators of the quality of school culture.

Improving outcomes for Indigenous students – the Workbook and guide for school educators (3rd ed.)

16 July 2010

This 55-page pdf workbook is a practical set of support materials for taking action and working systematically in schools. Developed in Australia, it provides a set of tools and ideas to help achieve improved outcomes for Indigenous students, and can be used in conjunction with the materials on the What Works http://www.whatworks.edu.au/ website and other companion What Works publications. This is the third edition, published in 2010. It was substantially revised and updated and provides a complete support for taking systematic action.

Restorative Practices in Catholic School Communities: Audit Tools

11 July 2009

33-page pdf providing 9 different assessment instruments for schools developing restorative practice initiatives. Prepared in Australia, “The…Audit Tools for Restorative Practices have been developed by the Student Wellbeing Team of the Catholic Education Office (Melbourne) for use by the Core Leadership Team and staff in the school. The purpose of the tools is to provide…both quantitative and qualitative data regarding the implementation of Restorative Practices strategies at the school level.”

Institutional and Program/Practitioner Guidelines For Conflict Management in Higher Education

19 December 2008

Document (30-page pdf) provides a set of guidelines designed to support the development of comprehensive, educational, integrated and conflict-friendly approaches to managing conflict and disputes in institutions of higher education. The target audience includes key decision makers such as senior administrators, deans and department heads, ombudspersons, anti-harassment officers, housing and security administrators, faculty, student affairs professionals, and various frontline conflict services staff. The consensus document was developed by a national working group including the full spectrum of campus conflict resolvers. Presents a set of nine core principles that are elaborated on reflecting best practices in the higher education ADR field. Includes appendix with resource links.

Promoting mediation center quality awareness using guided self-assessment

4 January 2008

Pdf article from Conflict Management in Higher Education Report, Volume 4, Number 1, (Oct. 2003), which introduces “NAFCM’s [National Association for Community Mediation] manual … [which focuses] … not on the direct provision of services themselves, but rather on the quality of the system through which cases are managed, mediators are trained and evaluated, and mediation centers determine what “quality”Â means in their communities, by encouraging
community mediation centers to examine their goals and values in light of their communities’ needs and values and to develop their own approaches to serving these needs effectively, NAFCM’s self-assessment approach aims to increase quality without imposing restrictive and inappropriate standards.”