Fall 2009 Section Elections  

Nominees for position of ACR Education Section Chair Elect

 Chair Elect Candidate: CHRISTINA CASSINERIO

Candidate’s work in conflict resolution:

Christina is an elementary special educator within Fresno Unified School District.  She is a school site Peer Mediator Coordinator.  She serves her school in training 4th - 6th grade students on the peer mediation process.  She also implements strategies and program alternatives to further develop students’ social emotional learning.

Ms.Cassinerio has served as trainer, site mentor, program coordinator, and research assistant at California State University, Fresno’s Mediator Mentors program since September of 2003.  Her multiple roles in the Mediator Mentors program provided her an opportunity to co-author an article published in ACR’s Conflict Quarterly.

Christina has furthered her studies in the field of conflict resolution and is at present a student of the Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University.  Her interest in dispute resolution within the field of education influenced her final graduate project and assisted her in earning a Master of Arts in Special Education.  Ms. Cassinerio developed CRE curriculum for graduate students within the Special Education program. She continues her work in this field by integrating skills and topics learned at Strauss into CRE curriculum for special educators.  Christina’s focus highlights her interest in developing awareness and skills necessary to be an effective and lasting special educator.

Ms. Cassinerio has served as a board member and officer on Central California Chapter of ACR since 2007 to present.  She is active in the organization’s efforts to grow membership, interest, and conflict resolution skills in Central California.

Description of candidate’s past participation in ACR and/or Education Section:

Christina has been a member of ACR since 2005 and part of the Education Section since 2007.  She has been active in attending national conferences since 2005 and volunteering her time for Youth Day since 2007.  She has co-authored an article with Dr. Pam Lane-Garon published in ACR’s Conflict Quarterly in 2004.  She has participated in Education Section conference calls for Youth Day 2009.

Statement of willingness to fulfill the responsibilities of the office, including attending the Annual Conference, Leadership Committee and Section Meetings:

I will be able to attend all meetings and accept the responsibility of these commitments.  I look forward to being more involved at the Annual Conference, Leadership committee, and Section Meetings.

Statement of candidate’s ideas regarding anticipated accomplishments as ACR Education Section Chair-Elect including proposed goals and objectives:

As Co-Chair Elect, my first priority would be to work with my fellow chair to increase membership and awareness of the Education Section of ACR. This would include providing awareness and opportunities for those in the education field to be published in the existing publication of The 4th R.  A further area of focus is to have the group serve as a support for school programs in the business of developing social emotional learning through peaceful problem solving.  This can be accomplished through distribution of the Revised Standards for Peer Mediation or as acting consultants to programs in need of mentoring and guidance.

Strategic efforts on creating awareness of The 4th R, enhancing membership, and serving as a resource for educators in the business of developing social emotional skills through peaceful problem solving is a great interest of mine.  Such goals would be executed through drawing from existing resources and personnel while still searching for new opportunities to make the presence and mission of the Education Section realized.

Chair-Elect Candidate: LINDA LA BEAU

Candidate’s work in conflict resolution:  I received my mediation certificates in civil and family mediation in 1997;  I also have certification in CPS mediation and Truancy Mediation.  In 1998, I was awarded a contract with Texas Education Agency as an independent contractor providing special education mediation.  This contract was renewed annually until 2003 when TEA decided non-lawyer mediators were not qualified to provide mediation for the state agency.

However, I developed a process of facilitated mediation as a 3^rd party neutral for early disputes between parents and school districts in Tarrant and surrounding counties.  The facilitation agreement states I work in the “best interests of the child”.  I explain my interest is to assist the parent work collaboratively with the school district versus an adversarial attitude of “who shot John”.   Surprisingly, parents share this philosophy of looking forward instead of looking backward.  However, when compensatory services are requested school districts are willing to provide these services.

Description of candidate’s past participation in ACR and/or Education Section: I am a new member to ACR.  

Statement of willingness to fulfill the responsibilities of the office, including attending the Annual Conference, Leadership Committee and Section Meetings:  I intend to attend the October conference in Atlanta and will participate in all committee meetings and Section meetings.

Statement of candidate’s ideas regarding anticipated accomplishments as ACR Education Section Chair-Elect including proposed goals and objectives:  My goal is to work with the team to develop innovative processes to assist parents, teachers and the community to become aware of issues in public education and to work to support student achievement.  Objectives:           

• insure IDEA is upheld to include 503 and 504
• reduce drop out rates
• inform parents and school personnel at the national, state and local level of rules and regulations.
• insure parents seeking divorce include educational needs of children in divorce decree
• interact with state and national leaders on education issues