Schools Without Fear
Schools Without Fear, Study Group on Violence and Its Impact on Schools and Learning, National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE).
In this report, the NASBE study group presents its findings and recommendations for stemming the violence seeping into America's classrooms. The panel urges state boards of education to take the lead by developing statewide violence-prevention plans, including long-term strategies focusing on school climate and culture; instruction in conflict resolution and ethics; peer mediation; and mentoring and counseling.
Among the approaches the panel profiles are New York City's Resolving Conflict Creativity Program for grades K–12, now being implemented in 250 schools in 5 districts nationwide, and Ohio's character education program.
Available from NASBE, Publications, 1012 Cameron St., Alexandria, VA 22314. (800) 220-5183. October 1994. 32 pp. Paperbound. $9 plus $2 shipping and handling. Discounts for bulk orders.
Peacing It Together
Peacing It Together: A Violence Prevention Resource for Illinois Schools, Illinois Council for the Prevention of Violence.
This book presents 27 violence-prevention programs that the council—a private, nonprofit organization—distributed to schools across Illinois. This is one reason that researcher Marc Posner of the Education Development Center cited Illinois as a good model. (Posner questioned the effectiveness of many violence-prevention programs elsewhere in an article in the May/June 1994 Harvard Education Letter.)
Available from the Illinois Council for the Prevention of Violence, 220 S. State St., Suite 1215, Chicago, IL 60604. (312) 986-9200. 1994. 18 pp. Spiralbound. $5, but free depending on need.
Rethinking Student Discipline
Rethinking Student Discipline: Alternatives that Work, Paula M. Short, Rick J. Short, and Charlie Blanton.
The authors fault traditional punitive approaches for producing little student self-discipline and only short-term compliance, and advocate instead a balance between punishment and positive reinforcement. They also urge educators to view discipline as part of the larger learning system—long-term training that results in moral as well as intellectual gains.
Published jointly with the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the book also details strategies for students at risk and a schoolwide discipline program. Worksheets, problem-solving forms, and an annotated bibliography are included.
Available from Corwin Press, Inc., P.O. Box 5084, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359. 1994. 136 pp. Hardcover $38; paperbound $18.
Mediation and Its Implications for Cross-Cultural Conflicts
Mediation and Its Implications for Cross-Cultural Conflicts, March 3–5, 1995, San Antonio, Texas, National Association for Mediation in Education (NAME).
NAME's workshop is intended for advanced practitioners from settings ranging from kindergarten through higher education. It will explore the types of diversity issues that are a source of conflict in schools today—including those involving race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, class, and ability—and appropriate uses of mediation to resolve such conflicts.
Contact NAME, 205 Hampshire House, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003-3635. (413) 545-2462.
Community Resource Guide on Violence
Community Resource Guide on Violence, Educational Resources Center, Thirteen/WNET.
New York City's public television station, WNET, is distributing 50,000 free copies of this guide to schools, community groups, and others in connection with the Bill Moyers Special, “What Can We Do About Violence?” which premiered January 9 and 11 on PBS, and will be rebroadcast this spring. The guide details model violence prevention programs in several cities, including school-based programs that enlist conflict resolution, cognitive mediation, life-skills training, and crime prevention techniques. Directories of specific programs, resource groups, publications, and videos are included.
Available from Act Against Violence Guide, P.O. Box 245, Little Falls, NJ 07424-0245. 1994. 20 pp. Paperbound. Free of charge. For further details, contact Doris Lang Thomas, Public Affairs Television, Inc., 356 W. 58th St., New York, NY 10019. (212) 560-6974.
Following are some of the resources available from ASCD on conflict resolution and violence prevention.
ASCD Resources on Conflict Resolution and Violence Prevention
Conflict Resolution, Mary Ellen Schaffer, facilitator. Through this ASCD member-initiated network, educators can share information on peer mediation, conflict management, and related programs for students. Call (708) 830-8770 or (708) 888-5357.
School Violence, ASCD Education & Technology Resources Center. This packet of articles, abstracts, and other documents are drawn from Educational Leadership, ASCD Update, Curriculum Update, the Curriculum*Technology Quarterly, and many other current resources. An ASCD resources diskette and a discount coupon good for 10 percent off any other ASCD product are included. Stock no. Select 14. $34.95.
Conflict Resolution, Cindy Harrison and Joellen Killion, presenters. Six tapes of a Professional Development Institute with presenter's notebook of handouts, overheads, and other training materials. Participants learn positive ways of handling conflict by looking at their own conflict styles. Stock no. 612-93151. $89.
Transforming the Learning Environment Through Collaborative Conflict Resolution Skills, Ellen Raider. Ellen Raider gives advice on conflict resolution at the ASCD 1993 Annual Conference. Audiotape. Stock no. 612-93069. $9.95.
Atlantic City Summer Series Institute on Conflict Resolution, July 12 or 13, 1995.Through small work groups and lectures, participants will analyze videotapes of actual school conflicts and engage in simulations to assess their own skills. Contact ASCD Professional Development at (703) 549-9110.
