Train teachers and staff on how to deal with conflict in constructive ways to prevent conflicts from escalating¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The report recommends that schools provide training to teachers and staff on constructive conflict management as a way to prevent conflicts from escalating into safety incidents. The authors note that positive interactions between adults and students do not happen organically but require "concerted attention to the ways in which the school environment is structured." They suggest that "training teachers and staff on how to deal with conflict in constructive ways could help prevent conflicts from escalating."

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• School commitment to structuring the environment to promote positive adult-student interactions

Constraints¶

• The report notes this is an initial evidence-based suggestion, not an evaluation of a specific training program

Target Learners¶

• Teachers and staff in urban public schools serving students in grades K-12

Target Learning Goals¶

• Reducing school violence and disorder; fostering safe schooling environments

Related Strategies¶

• Conflict De Escalation
• Restorative Conversations
• Restorative Questions
• Increase adult presence in the areas where students feel least safe, particularly just outside and around the school building
• Focus reduction efforts on high schools, racial/achievement disparities, and conflict prevention/de-escalation
• Support teachers' relational pedagogy through reflection and corrective experiences to prevent conflict escalation and emotional exhaustion

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Matthew P. Steinberg, Elaine Allensworth, David W. Johnson. (2011). Student and Teacher Safety in Chicago Public Schools: The Roles of Community Context and School Social Organization. Consortium on Chicago School Research, University of Chicago Urban Education Institute. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/student-and-teacher-safety-chicago-public-schools-roles-community-context-and-school