Conflict Resolution Education in Teacher Education

A Collaboration between Cleveland State University, Temple University, Kent State University, and the Ohio Commission for

Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management.

Funded by the George Gund Foundation

CRETE Mission

The mission of the CRETE project is to provide pre-service teachers with critical skills and knowledge of conflict education and classroom management necessary for cultivating constructive learning environments for children, enhancing student learning and bolstering teacher retention.

What is CRE

Conflict Resolution Education teaches social and emotional competencies to children and adults to help them handle conflict more constructively, build healthy relationships, and create constructive communities.

Conflict Resolution Education, as a field, overlaps with violence prevention, positive youth development, social and emotional learning, and law-related education.

Core Competencies in CRE

Emotional Awareness Empathy and Perspective-Taking Emotional Management Problem-Solving Communication (listening, negotiation, and

mediation) Effective Decision Making

Basic Goals of CRE

Enhance Children’s Social and Emotional Development

Create a Safe Learning Environment Create a Constructive Learning

Environment Create a Constructive Conflict

Community

The Benefits of CRE

Enhance Students’ Social and Emotional

Development CRE INCREASES

Perspective taking (Jones et al, 1998; Lane-Garon, 1998 )

Constructive conflict behavior (Johnson, Johnson, 1996)

constructive CR at home and school (Johnson & Johnson 2001; Sandy & Cochran, 2000)

The Benefits of CRE

Enhance Students’ Social and Emotional Development Decreased Aggressiveness (Jones et al, 1998)

3 x 3 (program model – peer mediation v. peaceable classroom v. control; educational level – elementary, middle, high) in three cities (27 schools, 8500 students, 700 teachers/staff)

Verbal aggressiveness and aggressive orientation (Aber, Brown & Jones, 2003)

Hostile Attribution and aggressive orientation

The Benefits of CRE Create a Safe Learning Environment CRE decreases

Discipline referrals/suspensions for violent incidents (Shapiro, Burgoon, Welker, & Clough (2002)

Grades 4-8, n = 2,000, urban, pre-post and control 41% decrease in aggression-related disciplinary incidents 67% reduction in suspensions for violent behavior

(Farrell, Meyer, & White, 2001) Grade 6, pre-post and control, urban Impact on violent behavior was more evident for those with

high pretest levels of problem behavior Impact maintain at 12 month follow-up

Discipline Referral in Special Needs Population (Jones & Bodtker, 2000)

The Benefits of CRE

Create a Constructive Learning Environment Increases Academic Achievement

(Stevahn, Johnson, Johnson, & Shultz, 2002) 9th grade, pre-post, randomized assignment, control

groups Integrating CRE into academic course promoted

higher academic achievement, greater long-term retention of academic learning, and greater transfer of academic learning in social studies to language arts

Increases academic performance and work readiness (Aber, Brown & Jones, 2003; Overall –Zins et al, 2004)

The Benefits of CRE

Create a Constructive Learning Environment

Improves Classroom Climate Jones & Sanford (2003) National Curriculum

Integration Project 4 middle schools, academic year period, pre-

post, control groups NCIP had a very strong, positive impact on

classroom climate. NCIP had a profound influence on students’

perceptions of their learning environment

The Benefits of CRE

Create a Constructive Learning Environment

Improves School Climate Jones et al., (1998)

Using Organizational Health Inventory Improvement in school climate different for

education levels; elementary schools had greatest increase in climate; but at all levels CRE schools had significantly better, sustained school climate than control schools

Lane-Garon & Richardson (2003)

The Need for CRETE

CRE Addresses Two Crises in Contemporary Urban Education

Unsafe Learning Environments

Teacher Attrition

Unsafe Learning Environments

Nationally: NCES survey indicates 40.5% of teachers feel student disruptive

behavior prevents learning CDC survey indicate 9-10% of students regularly miss school

because of fear from unsafe learning environments 10% of students drop out of school because of persistent bullying 90% of 4-8 graders report experiencing serious bullying

In Cleveland Municipal School District Cleveland’s three-year average rates for suspensions

for non-criminal behavior and for juvenile crime is 8% for middle schools, 6% percent for high schools, 3% for elementary schools.

CDC Survey rates comparable to national average

Teacher Attrition

Nationally: 1/3 of new teachers leave in five years 1/2 of new teachers in urban environments

leave within 5 years One of main reasons cited is inability to

manage chaotic and conflict-ridden classrooms

In Cleveland Municipal School District: Almost 50% of new teachers leave in first

three years; 75% indicate wanting to leave the district and the profession

CRETE Goals

To develop a curriculum infusion process for higher education faculty involved in pre-service education to infuse CRE into their courses.

To develop a curriculum and training process for educating education majors in CRE outside the higher education course delivery system.

To evaluate the impact of both curriculum infusion and training processes on classroom management, classroom climate, teacher satisfaction and teacher retention.

Guiding Principles of Implementation

We will design and implement CRETE to accommodate the unique needs of the Partner Universities.

We will emphasize a concerted, layered learning approach for faculty and students in order to optimize their conceptual and skill development in CRE.

Following best practices in teacher development we will emphasize mentoring as much as possible.

The evaluation includes formative and summative assessment. We believe it is critical to involve stakeholders in the planning of the project evaluation.

CSU Faculty Activities

Conflict Education Institute: October 25th and 26th Individual Coaching and Integration: Five

meetings with one of the CRETE teams to plan how you might integrate this information.

Focused Training Topics: Five 2-3 hour focused training session on topics such as culture and conflict, approaches to classroom management using conflict education, emotion and conflict.

Basic Evaluation Participation: Kent State University will be asking for your participation in simple surveys or phone/e-mail interviews.

Expectations

The expectation is that faculty, instructors, supervisors, and mentors who agree to participate in the CRETE project will participate in all the basic activities of the project.

Resources: Each participant will receive a stipend of $500 and an additional $250 for conflict education related material (Manuals Distributed, overview books).

CRETE Time Line

Phase 1 – Planning and Development (Fall 2003 – Summer 2004)

Phase 2 – Curricula Implementation (Summer 2004 – Summer 2005)

Phase 3 Training Implementation (2005 – 2006)

Phase 4 Evaluation Completion (2006 – 2007)

Phase 2

Stage 7 – Training for Higher Education Faculty at CSU (Summer 2004)

Stage 8 – Continuing Training and Infusion Coaching(2004 -5 Academic Year)

Stage 9 – Implement evaluation plan (2004-5 Academic Year)

Stage 10 – Select students for student training (Fall 2004)

Stage 11 – Select control students for evaluation (Fall 2004)

Stage 12 – Conduct student training (Spring 2005) Stage 13 – Project review and Refinement (Summer

2005)

Current Infusion Possibilities

Introduction to Professions/ Foundations EDB 200 EDL 505 EDE 678

Multicultural/Diversity EDC 300 305 EDL 312 EDB 303/04 EDL 313 EDL 301

ESE 504 EDB 505 EDE 616 Methods – Content Specific

EDL 312 ECE 416 ECE 402 EST 370 EDM 315 EDM 316 EDM 313 EDM 317 EST 371 EDS 315 EDS 316 EDS 313 EDS 317 EST 371 ESE 411 EST 377 EST 378 EDS 515 EDS 516 EDS 513 EDS 517 EST 572 EDE 670

Field Experience/ Student teaching EST 480 EST 481 EST 482 EST 487 EST 488 EST

582 EDE 685