Conflict and School Community

By engaging educators in Peter Senge's "systems thinking", facets of their school culture which contribute to avoidable student conflicts are identified and addressed. Practical classroom and schoolwide strategies are explored. Participants assess their own conflict response style and learn how to augment this style when applying specific intervention steps in student conflicts.

This program provides educators with tools for building student competence in
four critical areas:

• pro-social behaviors for initiating and sustaining constructive friendships
• peer problem solving strategies
• peer skills for defusing destructive teasing
• refusal techniques beyond "just say no"

This program can be customized to support the implementation of national substance abuse and violence prevention curricula such as:

• Here's Looking at You: 2000
• Project Charlie
• D.A.R.E.
• Second Step: Violence Prevention Program

Elementary educators can incorporate practical strategies for responsible abuse and abduction prevention education. Participants are provided with:

• a survey for assessing the child safety needs of your school community
• strategies for promoting common sense in decision-making and safe habits
• compassionate and effective responses to the disclosure of abuse or
  neglect by children

Children need to handle stress constructively if they are to maintain their physical, social and emotional well-being. Some children never learn to handle the ups and downs of everyday life and have difficulty with school and relationships. In extreme cases, children overwhelmed with stress can become entangled in destructive escapes such as substance abuse, eating disorders, violence, and suicide. Our children can become more resilient if we help them develop positive attitudes and skills for managing and transforming stress. This program includes a three-pronged approach for promoting healthy responses to stress: sources and symptoms of childhood stress; how to introduce stress management and relaxation techniques to children; and strategies for reexamining family values, priorities and lifestyles to ensure essential supports for children.

Children experience a wide-range of losses and changes that are a part of life and growth. Parents and teachers can help children through these difficult times by understanding how children grieve. As children move erratically through the stages of grief, parents and other adults can provide them with support that promotes healing. This program describes the process of grieving, including unique issues and concerns of children at different stages of development. Teachers and youth group leaders can also help children who are dealing with a death, significant loss or major change by providing practical support and introducing coping strategies that are appropriate for educational and recreational settings.

This presentation acquaints educators with 4 goal of misbehavior and dozens of effective interventions to use at the moment of misbehavior. Techniques for avoiding conflicts and deescalating power struggles are introduced. Long-term preventive strategies which help students feel capable, connected to others, and able to constructively contribute to the class and school, are also presented as crucial elements of the Cooperative Discipline approach.

• One or more workshops to support full implementation of this program can be provided incorporating additional resources for administrators, teachers and parents.

• Consultations for administrators and staff development specialists are also available to help districts provide ongoing "in-house" training.