Students Reject Violence After Learning Value of Conflict Resolution
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The two-year study looked into the effectiveness of the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program (RCCP), one of the largest and longest-running school-based conflict resolution programs in the country.
The findings showed that students who received substantial RCCP instruction, identified as about 25 lessons over the school year, tended to see their social world in a less hostile way, to view violence as an unacceptable option and to chose nonviolent strategies to resolve conflict. Such students also did better academically, the report showed.
"This program can successfully reduce kids' aggressive thoughts and behaviors," said Tom Roderick, executive director for Educators for Social Responsibility -- Metropolitan Area, a nonprofit organization that helped create the program in 1985 in collaboration with the New York City Board of Education. The curriculum, based on the philosophy that aggressive and violent behavior is learned and therefore can be reduced through education, is now taught in 60 schools throughout New York City and is being replicated in 12 other sites around the country.
"It's a program that works and is fun for the kids," Roderick said. The curriculum is interactive and builds on a set of core skills: communicating clearly and listening carefully, expressing feelings and dealing with anger, resolving conflicts, fostering cooperation, appreciating diversity and countering bias.
Weekly sessions can involve role playing for older students and puppet shows for younger students. In a weekly session in a first-grade class, for example, a teacher might present two puppets having a conflict over using a computer, or another typical situation in the classroom. The teacher guides the students through a series of questions and brainstorming solutions on how the puppets can cope with their dilemma.
"These are life skills that are as important as academic skills," Roderick said.
Tom Roderick, executive director, Educators for Social Responsibility - Metropolitan Area, New York, N.Y., 212-870-3318.
Columbia University Mailman
School of Public Health, National Center for Children in Poverty,
Dr. J. Lawrence Adler, director and principal investigator RCCP evaluation, 212-304-7101,
Joshua Brown, research associate, 212-304-7143,
full evaluation report and an executive summary are available at web site:
http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/nccp/rccp99.html
Background:
National Center for Dispute Resolution, Washington, D.C., 202-667-9700.
National Center for Youth Mediation, Albuquerque, N.M., 800-249-6884.
Justice Policy Institute, Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, Washington, D.C.,
202-678-9282, San Francisco, Cal., 415-621-5661 web site: www.cjcj.org
Drug Strategies, Washington, D.C., 202-663-6110, publishers of the 1998 report "Safe
Schools, Safe Students: A Guide to Violence Prevention Strategies," web site:
www.drugstrategies.org
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| George , Staten Island NY | Diverseusa@aol.com 04/12/01 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Felton , Brooklyn Ne | 09/04/00 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Students Reject Violence After learning Value of Conflict Resolution | |||||||||||||||||||||
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