Conflict Resolution Education: Applied Theory and Practice in Washington D.C. Schools
When the time came to explore our options at ICAR as Masters and Ph.D. students for a capstone project, we struggled like many, with deciding whether to write a thesis, to under take an internship, or to join an Applied Practice and Theory (APT) team. For us an internship was not quite an option as it would have gotten in the way of already over-committed schedules and we were looking for the opportunity to be more engaged with the practice aspect of conflict resolution. Additionally, some of us were interested specifically in the DC school system, or aspiring to teach, and this APT resonated with those interests. Our respective course work had also exposed us quite a bit to the international dimension of ICAR and we believed that focusing on issues at a domestic level was more suitable to our needs.
Our APT is a diverse group of professionals with a wide range of ages and experiences coming all the way from West Africa, Somalia, and Montana. We had to learn to work and communicate as a team, bridging divergent communication styles, backgrounds, and schedules. However, our common interest in youth education and peaceful resolution of conflicts is what brought us together to pursue this APT.
We have been exploring the opportunity to revitalize conflict resolution education (CRE) in the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) through an exploratory approach that includes academic research, interviews of key people in the field of CRE, and a model of sustainability inspired by theorists we encountered at ICAR. Additionally, we chose Washington D.C. because of practical reasons of proximity, and also our Professor, Marsha Blakeway’s, knowledge of and experience with peer mediation programming in the District. Nonetheless, the lessons learned in this APT can be transferred to other school contexts.
Our interest in conflict resolution education stems from our deep belief that every student deserves a safe environment that fosters their social and emotional growth. Our working theory of change is that when students are taught fundamental conflict resolution skills they will be better able to manage their own conflicts and contribute to a more positive school climate. The school environment is a prime platform for learning such skills as students spend much of their formative years in school settings. 
Peer Mediation (PM) when implemented within the standards developed by Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR), has the potential to improve poor school climates and reduce anti-social behaviors. These factors have been identified as barriers to academic achievement and good citizenship. Moreover, significant challenges faced by CRE programs in school systems are sustainability, poor implementation, and lack of funding. To affect change at the system level requires involvement of political leaders, school administrators, teachers, parents, unions, students, and private citizens. To deal with these challenges, we are working to build a continuing partnership with ICAR to make CRE more sustainable in the District of Columbia.