Students Offering Acceptance and Respect
Students Offering Acceptance and Respect
In the mid-1990s, the guidance counselors at the North Central Local School System in Pioneer, Ohio, decided they wanted to make the atmosphere of their school system more inviting and peaceful for everyone. They began by doing research on different conflict management programs across the state. With a grant from the Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management, in 1999 they were on their way.
Ghandi once said, "We must be the change we want to see in the world." The counselors knew that in order to embark on a journey toward change, they needed to identify a group of individuals within the school who would be the "change (they) wanted to see in the world," so they began with the students. North Central soon had the Students Offering Acceptance and Respect (SOAR) program, which initially began as a peer mediation program, with students (grades five through twelve) trained to help their peers find nonviolent solutions to their conflicts.
As more needs and concerns came to the counselors, they and the students developed (over the next five years) a comprehensive conflict management program for students and staff, grades K (kindergarten) through twelve. New peer mediators continue to be trained each year in a six-step mediation process. In addition, high-school SOAR members began going into elementary classrooms to teach younger students about conflict management, feelings, peer pressure, bullying, and decisionmaking. Students in the middle grades work one-on-one to mentor younger students on self-esteem issues and friendship skills.
Since the advent of the SOAR program, the number of discipline occurrences at the school have dramatically declined. It is not unusual for older students to ask if they can talk out their differences with one another privately, before it escalates into a major conflict. The school's atmosphere is more positive and inviting. Staff members have been encouraged to attend conferences on infusing conflict management lessons into their classrooms. It is not unusual to see a "Peace Corner" in an elementary classroom, or have "Diversity Days" at the junior high and high-school levels. There is also an annual "Peace Week" where elementary students are recognized for being peacemakers throughout the school year. Parents are invited to this celebration to honor those students who are the community's and nation's future peacemakers. Middle-school students design and create peace banners that are proudly hung in the cafeteria, and high-school students take part in activities promoting peace.
North Central has also introduced the program to their community. Parent meetings encourage peaceful communication at home. SOAR members make presentations to local civic groups to explain their program. On 11 September 2003, North Central school unveiled its "Peace Pole," where students and community members are reminded of the importance of peace in six languages. The pole is proudly displayed beside the school marquee, visible to all who pass by.
One of the biggest successes of the program has been an annual Visions of Peace Conference, which SOAR hosts each spring. Schools throughout northwest Ohio are invited to attend. Participants, over three hundred in two years, learn about peer mediation, Peace Week, team building, social justice, and dealing with flash judgments. Every year students from thirteen different schools gather to learn how they can start or enhance a peacemaking program at their own school.
The SOAR program empowers others to commit to peace, in the conviction that the only way the world will change is if we believe we can make a difference, and begin to make that difference in our world, however small that change or that world may be.
SOAR continues to develop each year. Student comments such as "I think it is a great program because it improves student relations," and, "Peer Mediation definitely eases tension among students" encourage SOAR members to continue to make their school a safe and positive environment. Students and staff at North Central are taking Ghandi's words to heart and working toward "being the change (they) want to see in the world."
Results
Most educators look for a reduction in disciplinary actions (suspensions, expulsions, truancy) and general disruptions in the classroom when they propose developing a school conflict management program. The commission is interested not only in affecting change in student behavior, but also in creating a safe and supportive learning environment for students, teachers, and parents. This stems from the idea that academics are positively affected if the philosophy and skills of school conflict management are fully integrated into daily school life. Evaluations of the Ohio experience show that schools focusing on the whole-school approach see improved academic achievement, reduced truancy, fewer suspensions and expulsions, less time spent on dealing with discipline, financial cost savings to schools, and an improvement in overall school climate.
The annual cost per student to administer the school conflict management grant training program is approximately $12. When compared to the per student cost of suspending a child ($231) or expelling a student ($431), the program is clearly cost-effective. Independent evaluations of the truancy prevention mediation program demonstrate a significant increase in pupil attendance and decrease in tardiness for participating schools resulting in an average cost savings of $1,889 per school. With 171 participating schools (currently funded by the commission), total program cost savings for the 2002-2003 school year was estimated at $323,019.
The Future
To further institutionalize conflict resolution education in Ohio, the commission recently partnered with Temple University, Cleveland State University, and Kent State University to design the Conflict Resolution Education in Teacher Education project, which addresses two crises in urban education across the United States-teacher attrition and unsafe, conflict-ridden learning environments. Through this project the partnership will develop a conflict resolution education/social and emotional learning curriculum and training process for higher-education faculty, and develop a curriculum for the continuing education units all teachers must earn to retain their certification. The impact of curricula and training processes on teacher success in classroom management, establishing positive classroom climates, student learning and academic achievement, and teacher satisfaction and teacher retention will be evaluated. A version of the curriculum suitable for use in traditional and on-line/distance education formats will be developed, along with a mentoring structure that utilizes university-based teacher educators and school-based educators.
