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Fellowship Paper
At the Atlantis Charter School our mission is "to provide all children with an education that is second to none, so that they can become adaptable and productive life-long learners." We at Atlantis Charter School feel strongly about providing the children of the Greater Fall River community with a solid foundation on which to build a successful future. To meet the needs of our students we weave together in our curriculum innovative practices and the best traditional methods. Started in 1995, Atlantis Charter School was one of the 13 original Massachusetts charter schools. Our charter was renewed in 2000 for an additional five years by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. We are the third largest charter school in the state, currently serving an urban population of 630 elementary and middle-school students in kindergarten through grade 8. Our school is based on a Family Learning Center concept and uses the sea as a focal educational theme. In accordance with our Mission and the Family Learning Center concept we hold high expectations for families and students, expecting them to understand and assume responsibility for their role in the learning process. We have established an environment focused on student learning, one in which the common goal is collaboration and partnership. Fall River is a mid-size coastal city in southeastern Massachusetts; its former manufacturing base has seriously eroded, leaving a weak economy. It has a diverse population--racially, ethnically, and culturally--and the school's population mirrors that of community at large and of many inner city schools. Atlantis Charter School serves Fall River in a two building, two campus school. The Family Learning Center, the innovative core of the Atlantis learning environment, functions as an overarching service system for the school, bringing together everyone in the school community--children, parents, teachers, and administrators--as partners in achieving success for our students. The Family Learning Center works in collaboration
with parents to support student achievement. We promote five types of parent
involvement: parenting, representing others, communicating, learning at
home, and volunteering. We have a library from which parents can borrow
books and tapes that help them be productive partners in their child's education.
We facilitate communication between members of our school community, put
on workshops, make partnerships with community-based resources, and we coordinate
extra-curricular, service learning, and volunteer activities. We coordinate
Kid's Cove, an extended day program that includes tutoring, homework help,
and other activities. In addition, we serve as facilitators of the Peaceful
School Program which I coordinate. In the Family Learning Center I serve
as Activity Coordinator, and I work with one other staff member. Our challenge is to implement strategies that provide protection and build resiliency, both of which lead to the creation of a peaceful environment. Resiliency is the ability to bounce back from life's inevitable stresses. Protective factors in effective schools, according to the research (Rutter 1998), are care and support, high expectations, and student opportunity for involvement. Resiliency research has pointed to the solution to violence prone schools. The Resiliency Wheel model (Henderson and Milsten) moves from building resiliency to mitigating risk factors in the environment. This is done by providing opportunities for meaningful participation, setting and communicating high expectations, providing care and support, increasing pro-social bonding, setting clear and consistent boundaries, and teaching "life skills." We use the Resiliency Wheel model to determine that we are using appropriate effective interventions. Daniel Goleman in his book Emotional Intelligence (1995) holds that current brain research demonstrates that emotional intelligence, like temperament, is not fixed at birth and can be enhanced. Only 20% of our success, states Goleman, can be attributed to our IQ; the rest of our success depends on our emotional intelligence or use of social skills. When we keep this in mind, he adds, we shift our focus from what is "wrong" with a child to what can be done to facilitate his or her healthy development. Research shows that conflict resolution education can help bring about significant reductions in suspensions, disciplinary referrals, academic disruptions, playground fights, and family and sibling disputes. According to Bodine, Crawford, and Schrumpf, the authors of Creating the Peaceful School (1996), conflict resolution education is a critical component in community-based efforts to prevent violence and reduce crime. Aware of the research, the Atlantis Charter School has put in place a multi-component progam, a successful approach to creating a Peaceful School. We join together with parents as partners in the creation of a peaceful school climate.
At Atlantis Charter School we recognize the value of providing students with care, support, and the opportunity for participation in meaningful activities that promote pro-social bonding. We also recognize the value of teaching life skills, especially the skills of peace making. Our school employs many strategies to accomplish these ends. At Atlantis Charter School we enhance the educational
process by using a systemic approach towards peace making. Our approach
includes programs available to all students in grades K-8 and programs specific
to K-3 and 4-8 (see Appendix 1 for full outline). In this paper I'll provide
an overview of programs available at all grade levels: school rituals (including
Morning Meeting), social skill groups, student activities, service learning,
and parent involvement. I'll also focus on the Peer Mediation Program and
the curricula in place for grades K-3 and 4-8. Rituals are a wonderful first step in social and emotional learning. Using a multi-component approach assures that students are better able to learn and apply these skills. At Atlantis Charter School our approach to creating a peaceful school begins with each classroom's Morning Meeting, a center point in our approach to creating a peaceful school. The Atlantis Morning Meeting is an expanded version of circle time; at it we build community, and we teach and model social skills. The basic principles behind Morning Meeting (Kriete 1999), which are also the principles behind our Peaceful Schools program, are: a social skills curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum, and how children learn is as important as what children learn. Because the greatest cognitive growth occurs through social interaction, there are social skills that children need to learn and practice in order to be successful. Morning Meeting is a good time for this. While Morning Meeting can be unique and will reflect the needs and personality of the teacher, the The Morning Meeting Book by Roxanne Kriete offers a model worth emulating. We base our Morning Meetings on it. The Northeast Foundation, as part of a program called The Responsive Classroom, developed this form of the Morning Meeting. Kriete suggests the following format: greeting, sharing, group activity, news, and announcements. The importance of Morning Meeting goes beyond greeting each child and making him or her feel important, however. Morning Meeting practices teach appropriate social behavior as well as respectful and safe behavior. Kriete's stated purposes of Morning Meeting are to set the tone of respectful learning, establish a climate of trust, and to merge social, emotional, and intellectual learning. Typically Morning Meetings occur after attendance is taken and lunch monies are collected. The amount of time planned in a given classroom is determined by classroom needs and student experience with the meeting. Often teachers start with a shorter amount of time, and as the students can handle it, add more time. Teachers must also be flexible with students who have special needs. Teachers introduce the concept of Morning Meeting and together with their class tailor the morning meeting to their needs and interests. The Morning Meeting implementation starts with formalizing the gathering-together part of this daily ritual and, over time, proceeds to greater levels of involvement. Typically, classroom teachers take several weeks to implement Morning Meeting. Specific directions on implementing Morning Meeting are found in Appendix 2. To implement a new program we typically familiarize
all concerned, including parents, with the way the program works and the
benefits of using it. Initially, in order to build support we communicated
regularly and educated all on the very important role of the Morning Meeting,
utilizing a 4-day optional professional training on Morning Meeting and
the Responsive Classroom. Annually, as part of regular scheduled staff meetings,
we present on the importance of Morning Meeting and the Peaceful Schools
Program. At Atlantis Charter School rituals such as Morning Meeting serve to create an environment of caring, individual commitment, responsibility, and support. Other rituals complement our practice. These include the outdoor pledge ceremony and our graduation ceremony, which is held in front of the elementary school and includes an initial procession by staff. Many school rituals are "service learning activities," such as Make A Difference Day, The Giving Tree, holiday performances and caroling by students, parents, and school staff, and student guest readers older students reading to younger students in a variety of contexts. Service learning activities contribute to a
peaceable school environment by providing concrete opportunities for youth
to learn new and valuable skills. Service learning involves students in
real-life settings where they apply academic knowledge and previous experience
to meet real community needs. These rituals develop a sense of community
and belonging, and they foster bonding. When students, families, and staff
share activities together, students develop a nurturing relationship with
adults. These are protective/resiliency factors. We provide many choices and set high expectations
for student involvement. In addition to service learning activities, we
offer students many other opportunities for school community involvement,
among them: Peer Mediators, sports, music chorus, instrumentals, service
activities, Drama Club, and Decision Makers. We have social skills groups available for students in K-8. These are student support groups, and participation in them is optional. They provide information, build skills, and enhance attachment and bonding. Atlantis Charter School provides both educational and therapy groups. Some groups are counseling groups, are part of an individualized treatment program, and are process based. The other groups are educational groups that teach life skills and are content-based. Some of the groups are on anger management, friendships, stress management, changing families, and problem solving. Teachers, parents, or school administration can refer a student to a group. Often students ask to be in a group themselves. Some children in groups are at-risk; others may just lack certain experiences. Last year students in my group faced issues such as: the death of a parent, being new to the school, dealing with divorce and separation, having ADHD, behavior problems, or anger management problems, lacking friendship skills, or being in kindergarten and too shy to express themselves. Groups usually run 6 to 10 weeks for 30 to 45 minutes each week. Parents are sent a letter describing the program and must give permission for their child to participate. Groups are held during school hours in the facilitator's room; classroom teachers often suggest times that work well for the students in their rooms. Although we try to arrange a time when students will not miss important work, students are expected to make up any work missed. Most students love groups and view them as a treat or reward. Teachers say they notice positive changes in the behavior of students involved in groups, and they say most students are more relaxed after them. Support groups create a safe space where students
learn to practice self care. We offer age appropriate activities that are
rich and varied. Students have fun and become bonded to the other students
in the group. The more opportunities students have to learn and practice social skills the better the student will grow in his or her emotional intelligence or knowledge of these skills. To assure at-home understanding and support, we offer parents workshops on basic social skills that students need and the importance of teaching these at home; at school students receive a workshop on the social skills as well. We also educate parents on the Peer Mediation Program. We recognize parents as full partners in the educational process and invite them to join with us to learn and practice these skills. At the beginning of the child's school experience parents are introduced to the parent/teacher/student compact. All parents, when they register students and each year thereafter, are asked to read and sign the Atlantis Charter School Home Involvement Compact, Parents as Partners. This compact has a section detailing our expectations for teachers, parents, and students followed by a place for each to give his/her signature and date (see Appendix 3). At Open House this Compact is reviewed with parents. In addition, at the parent/ teacher conference the teacher goes over this compact with parents who might have missed Open House. Teachers also review the compact with students. Moreover, to help facilitate close relations
between parents and the school, Atlantis does not send home report cards
for the first two marking periods; all parents must come in for a conference
to obtain the report card. Teachers also send weekly newsletters home highlighting
special activities. Conflict mediation curricula have proven to be an effective instrument in combating the increasing level of anger and violence found in our schools. Evidence suggests that we can prevent destructive behaviors by providing our students with the knowledge and skills needed to settle disputes peacefully. At Atlantis Charter School we utilize curriculum
from the Peace Education Foundation, an organization which views peace education
as a holistic, life-affirming program that builds social skills and teaches
the same values that we model in Morning Meeting. Essential components include
self-identity, relationships, peer refusal skills, self-empowerment, dealing
with bullies, impulse control, goal setting, acting with courage and understanding
violence. We use a research-based model from Peace Works and the Peace Foundation (Schmidt & Friedman 1993) Peace-making Skills for Little Kids. This curriculum has teacher guides, posters, and a cat puppet named I-Care-Cat., which "talks" with students, as a personal friend, about their concerns and fears. The goal (for K-3) is to have students use a common language and understand basic rules of caring, respectful behavior. All K-3 classrooms have at least 5 sessions of a Peaceful School curriculum and have posters displayed with five I Care Rules: 1. We listen to each other. Young children love I-Care-Cat. I also like
the very basic I-Care Cat rules; they provide a sound foundation for later
instruction in Peer Mediation. The grade five program, called Creative Conflict
Solving, is on Conflict Mediation, and the program in grades six and
seven is Creating Peace, Building Community. Grade eight's curriculum
is The Fighting Fair Peaceful Schools Program; it teaches students
the skills they need to settle disputes peacefully. The Peace Education
Foundation has additional materials on mediation for grades four through
eight. Of general use are materials they have on cooperative group games.
All students in grade 4-8 are encouraged (though
not required; participation is voluntary) to use the Peer Mediation program
to solve conflicts. Parents, staff, or students can request mediation, and
any student can nominate him/ herself to be trained as a Peer Mediator.
As more students are trained, a common language of respect is practiced;
this, in turn improves the effectiveness of the Peer Mediation among older
students. The Peer Mediation Program is the centerpiece of our Atlantis Charter School integrated approach to achieving a peaceful and productive school environment. For this component of our approach we have adopted most of the program model proposed by Diekmann and described in the 1998 book, Research-based Effectiveness of the Peace Education Foundation Model. I also like to utilize the 1996 work put out by Sunburst Communications, Conflict Managers. Diekmann's model (5-6) suggests certain steps to implement a model program and obtain reliable, replicable results: · Develop an advisory committee to oversee
implementation Completing this process, states Diekmann, will take a minimum of one year. A two to three year time-line is more realistic for lasting results. Although Diekmann suggests forming an Advisory Committee, and I agree that its a good idea, we did not start with one. We did, however, have a Program Coordinator in place, and we consulted with many others prior to implementing our program. Once the administration gave approval and necessary resources, we made a timeline for scheduling and tracking the implementation process (see Appendix 4). We also realized it was necessary to have some kind of assessment to later show program effectiveness, so we used a School Climate Survey (see Appendix 5). This was administered before and after the first year the program was implemented, to students and staff who were to be involved in the program. We also utilized the services of people from local social service agencies, who are experienced as group trainers, to help us train the middle schools students in peer mediation. The program coordinator still implements the program, but this year the Family Learning Center has established an Advisory Committee made up of staff and parents.
What a Mediation Looks Like At Atlantis Charter School all students and staff are frequently reminded about confidentiality. It is important to have a private place available to hold the mediations. Our mediations are held at a small table, with the three mediators on one side and the two disputants on the other side. The coordinator or faculty advisor sits at the end of the table. The necessary materials for the mediations (an outline of the process, a mediation agreement form, scrap paper, and pens) are stored in the room where the mediations are held. Mediators arrive a few minutes before the disputants.
They decide on their roles and determine who will explain the different
parts of the mediation. They take this time to read over the Mediation Referral
and make sure they have materials they will need. Disputants arrive, are
asked to sit down, and the mediation begins. The mediators follow the outline
they were trained to use (see Appendix 6). They explain rules, gather information,
and focus on common interests. They help disputants create options, evaluate
options, and choose a solution. They write the agreement, have the disputants
sign it, and close. Our Peer Mediation Program at Atlantis Charter School has been in existence for slightly over a year. Our program has 38 Peer Mediators. Faculty advisory training has been provided to 14 staff members. Last year we had 38 mediations in the elementary school. Our middle school moved to a new building and in the flux of moving did not implement a full mediation program. Most of our mediations at Atlantis Charter School have been on the problems of friendship, such as a friend who wants to make new friends. We also have our share of recess and lunch problems. Many of these mediations focus on what to do in the future so as not to not repeat the problem. In the middle school the students really like the power of choosing their own solutions. Often they decide on the same course of action a parent or teacher would choose, but they accept it because it is their idea. Students quickly deduce that Peer Mediation is a more satisfactory and often a fairer means of conflict resolution than either fighting or hoping for omniscient staff judgements. Pre and post school climate surveys indicate improvement in both staff and student attitudes. After the program was implemented there was a decline in the number of behavior referrals sent to the office. Some students at our school even reported (to teacher Sandra Smith) that being a Peer Mediator made taking the MCAS easier because of the skills they had learned. Other students wrote on how being a Peer Mediator gave them more self confidence. These results correlate with those of similar programs across the nation. Elizabeth Dreyfuss in her article Learning Ethics in School-Based Mediation Programs (1990) declared that school-based mediation is an educational gold mine. She went on to say: We saw the climate of the school become one where the students ethos rejected fights as a way of settling disputes; where students held each other accountable for their behavior; where students dealt openly and effectively with anger, fear and aggression; and where students used their school-learned skills of conflict resolution to provide service in the community. (23) Donna and Richard Bodine in their report Conflict
Resolution Education (1996) share similar results: significant reductions
in suspensions, discipline referrals, academic disruptions, playground fights,
etc. Diekmann, in her report on the Safe School Center of the Palm Beach
County School District (1998), also writes of positive results. It is imperative that schools take the opportunity to be proactive in dealing with violence and school safety. As we enhance the climate of safety in our school with the Peaceful School Program, we also foster self-esteem in our students and promote their social and academic success. Others can observe our experience and use our implementation plan as a model for creating safer, better learning environments in their own schools. Although the elements of our program are integrated and our work is systemic, our early experience shows that parts of the program can be used productively on an individual basis. Specific program elements can even be used in a single classroom environment. Their effectiveness, however, is increased if they are integrated and used across a school. Moreover, because it takes time to implement such a plan (this we recognize from our own experience), we would further recommend that: 1. Implementation should begin with the youngest children. Younger children are more accepting of the concepts. What's more, I-Care-Cat is universally loved by the K-3 set. Instilling the basic concepts at an early age provides a solid foundation and an attentive audience for conflict resolution curricula and Peer Mediation in the difficult middle school years. 2. Win over faculty support with documented success stories and first-hand accounts. Make the program look attractive; using it creates an easier environment in which to teach. Minimize the administrative responsibility at the classroom teacher level. 3. Expand implementation up through the grades. By building on existing experience of both staff and students, by substantially leveraging previous knowledge and success, a maximum, integrated effect will be realized. 4. Do not underestimate the importance of Mediator and Staff Advisor training. The Mediator position is generally a new and unique experience for a student. With good training, it will be a very positive and growth experience for the student. But realize that few students of middle school age are naturally endowed with such negotiating skills. 5. Use professional trainers for both Staff Advisor training and especially for Peer Mediator training. This substantially lessens the impact on school staff; it indicates a deep level of commitment from school management, and more importantly, it usually results in better training. 6. Provide public recognition of the contributions
and work of both Staff Advisors and Peer Mediators.
As stated earlier, each part of this model (especially rituals, conflict resolution curricula, and peer mediation) can be implemented on a classroom level, but the effect is stronger when the model is implemented systemically. As might be expected, such implementation is more time intensive and more expensive. In the approach as a whole, the Peer Mediation program is the most demanding to implement, but it also holds the greatest promise for impacting student behavior and mores. Certainly rituals such as the Morning Meeting can be implemented on an individual classroom level. But our objective is not only to build community in individual classrooms; we want classrooms to be part of a fully functional school community. Because rituals build community, much can be said about the benefits of creating school-wide rituals. Atlantis Charter School is firmly committed
to its present course of using its Family Learning Center as a means of
promoting a more peaceful and productive school environment. One of our
goals is to be a leader in innovative education. We realize that in order
to meet this goal we need to share our approaches with other schools. Therefore,
the Family Learning Center at Atlantis Charter School stands ready to offer
advice and welcome visitors interested in the techniques we practice in
our approach to creating a Peaceful School.
· Morning Meetings · School rituals · Availability of Social Skill Groups · Service learning activities · Opportunity for student participation in student activities · Parent /teacher/student compact, school
partnership In addition the k-3 Peace-making/social skill curriculum includes: · K-3 Peaceful Schools Program · Communication emphasis to deter violence · Additional social skills as part of health curriculum · Guest speakers Grades 4-8 get a further conflict resolution / social skills curriculum including : · Health curriculum · Communication skills emphasis to deter violence · Student Adjustment Counselor presentations/curriculum · Guest speakers and social service student workshops · Peer Mediation Program
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