Conflict Resolution Education - National Criminal Justice Reference ...

Appendix H: Strategic Planning Process
Schools and other organizations around the country
are engaged in strategic planning on a regular basis.
Such planning is valuable to the success of any endeavor
and should be part of the implementation of
any conflict resolution education program. The following
information, which may be very familiar and second
nature to many readers of this Guide, is provided
to help readers who are not experienced in the strategic
planning process to formulate a plan for bringing
conflict resolution education into their setting.
Planning Process
A plan for a conflict resolution program is developed
by the planning team in collaboration with
the entire school faculty and is based on the results
of the needs assessment. A planning team with
broad-based school and community representation
increases “ownership” of the program and commitment
throughout the school community for its implementation.
The planning process suggested here
has four basic components: belief statements, a mission
statement, program goals, and an action plan.
Belief Statements
Belief statements express fundamental convictions
and tenets related to conflict and conflict resolution.
They provide a basis for achieving consensus within
the school community regarding a conflict resolution
program in the school. The belief statements are
the basis for obtaining the school’s commitment to
a specific mission to implement such a program.
The following are sample belief statements:
♦ Conflict is a natural part of everyday life.
♦ Conflict is an opportunity to grow and learn.
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♦ Neither avoidance nor violence are healthy
responses to conflict.
♦ Through awareness of cultural differences, we
grow to respect others and to cherish diversity.
♦ Adults provide powerful behavior models for students;
this is especially true in dealing with conflict.
♦ Students can learn to resolve some of their
conflicts without adult involvement.
Mission Statement
The mission statement is a broad declaration of the
purpose of a conflict resolution program for the
school. It is the cornerstone upon which the entire
plan for the program is built. Often expressed as
a single, brief, general statement, the mission statement
articulates the primary focus of the program,
emphasizes the distinctiveness of the program, and
represents the commitment to the program. The
following is an example of a mission statement:
The mission of the conflict resolution education
program is to teach students and faculty to
resolve conflicts productively, to promote mutual
understanding of individuals and groups
throughout the school, and to enhance the
climate of the school.
Program Goals: Adult and Student
Outcomes
Goals are expressions of the desired outcomes of the
conflict resolution program for students and adults
in the school. The goals are the map for achieving
the mission and give direction to all implementation
planning. They guide the setting of priorities and