Corporation for National and Community Service, the CMSC
places full-time members in high-need schools around the
state. Through this and other programming CDRCs provide the
following services:
Circles
Community building circles conducted in classrooms, during
lunch, or after school, help students connect and communicate with each other. By regularly “circling-up,” they improve
social-emotional capacities and develop a stronger sense of
togetherness that supports a positive school climate. Responsive circles can inclusively address discipline issues and some
schools utilize circles as part of a re-entry process for students
who have been in detention or suspended from school. One
student who participated in circle activities said, “I think this
would help all students in our school and I think we should keep
using circles to learn more about handling drama and to process incidents that happen in school.”
Conflict Coaching
Conflict coaching can help students positively engage with
conflict and school discipline. While useful in many situations,
coaching is particularly effective when a mediation is not
appropriate or a RJ circle is not feasible. Meeting one on one
with a trained coach, students gain awareness of their actions,
consider the perspectives of others, and are supported in
addressing their situation.
Social Skills Education
Community building efforts include youth development
programs that promote specific positive social skills and
conflict management. These CDRC programs are developed
and delivered to encourage youth to explore the dynamics
of relationships and discuss personal implications. Depend-
ing on school preferences, they are offered as supplemental
after-school programs, or are built into the academic pro-
gramming with scheduled classroom attendance. Bullying
Prevention programs, also provided by trained CDRC staff,
are another example of community building efforts for
improving school relations and communication among all
students. A typical response to these experiences: “I have
never experienced something like this before. Had we been
given the opportunity to actually understand each other a
little better I think we would have acted differently towards
each other.”
Attendance Mediation and Circles
Some CDRCS offer facilitated mediations, conferences and
circle conversations about school attendance issues. Students, parents, and school personnel meeting together create
a support system to help young people participate in classes.
Additionally, offering circles for students with attendance
issues helps build a community of peer support for sharing challenges and strategies for improvement. One parent
noted, “This was the first place someone really listened to my
concerns about my child and helped me think about different
approaches.”
Peer Mediation
For more than a decade, schools have been turning to CDRCs
for guidance in developing peer mediation programs and training teams of students to provide formal and informal conflict
resolution responses in their school community. As one principal said, “We want to be able to help our students learn from
their mistakes and move forward, not just punish them.” As
peer mediators gain experience and knowledge, these students contribute to training new members and take leadership
roles to improve school climate. In addition to handling minor
daily incidents, peer mediation is an effective alternative to
punitive discipline and exclusionary practices in schools.
School Staff Development
Seeking more congruence between their discipline and
education goals, schools are turning to CDRCs for professional development of administrators, teachers and staff
members in RJ principles and practices. These schools seek
to build their own capacity for use in classrooms and staff
meetings to improve relationships and learning environments. As one staff member told us, “I came away with new
understandings of the student perspective and believe the
converse to be true as well. My relationship with the students has changed and I have recommended other faculty
members consider this is an option to resolve teacher-stu-dent conflicts.” Staff members find their communication and
relationships with students improve after being trained to
conduct informal restorative chats. These restorative chats
are timely, effective and efficient interventions for school
encounters that require immediate attention. These conversations derive from a concern for student well-being, and
encourage personal engagement during classes, reduce disruptive behaviors and improve school climate.
With extensive experience, knowledge and skills in conflict
resolution and restorative justice, CDRCs are committed to
building RJ capacity and competency. As applications increase,
so will the need for service providers.
One staff member told us, “I came away with
new understandings of the student perspective
and believe the converse to be true as well. My
relationship with the students has changed and
I have recommended other faculty members
consider this is an option to resolve teacher-student conflicts.”
