• Curriculum Initiated — Thousands of teachers have independently used PEF curricula to implement their own classroom-based programs. Most can do so without specialized PEF training because the materials are so comprehensive and teacher-friendly.
  
• Infusion — Conflict Resolution components are infused into traditional academic lessons. For example, Social Studies teachers can analyze many historic events through standard conflict resolution questions such as: What was the issue? What escalated the situation? What methods did different parties us to resolve it? Did those succeed? What else could disputants have done? Language Arts classes provide ample opportunities from simple sentence completions to journal entries, essays, and debate. A few lessons in analyzing conflict even lend themselves to mathematics through fractions and percentages, pie charts and graphs, statistical analysis, etc.
  
• Subject Area — At the secondary level, specific content area departments may choose to teach particular Conflict Resolution components or specific PEF lessons. These may be somewhat arbitrary simply to help distribute the task. For example, Language Arts may teach the community building lessons, Social Studies may address Understanding Conflict, Health may teach Perception, Science may teach Anger Management, etc.
  
• “Drop Everything for Peace” — A school or district may set aside special on a regular basis to teach only PEF components and curricula. That basic overview receives reinforcement throughout the year using one of the other models.
  
• Turn-Key Training (Training of Trainers) — A school or district may select key staff for extensive training in the PEF model. They become the local experts who train their colleagues, who in turn facilitate the knowledge and skill development of their respective students.

To demonstrate the integration of several aspects of these models, we’ll highlight one particular district-wide program of the PEF model. This initiative involved a collaborative partnership between PEF and the Palm Beach County, Florida, School District Safe Schools Center (America’s 14th largest school district). Initially designed as a three-year endeavor, it has now gone well beyond that.

Year One: Conflict Resolution and Mediation

During first semester:

• Teams of six (three teachers, one administrator and two parents) from each of the districts’ 125 schools received PEF’s Conflict Resolution curricula and training.
• Those teams then provided turn-key training at their respective schools.
• Sufficient materials were supplied to all teachers and administrators.
• Palm Beach County Safe Schools staff and PEF trainers provided special-topic, on-site training as requested throughout the district.
• The same teams of six received PEF’s Peer Mediation training and curricula.
• The teams implemented their respective peer mediation programs.
• Some schools also opted to train all the teachers in mediation.

Year Two: Mediation and Parent Component

During second semester:

• Follow-up special-topic training continued on-site throughout the year.
• Parents were trained in the Fighting Fair for Families (now Time Out!) model.
• Parents then presented two parent workshops in their respective schools.

Year Three: Service Learning/Community Service

• Schools organized opportunities for students to apply their skills meaningfully (teaching mini-lessons, coaching less-experienced students to use skills or mediating appropriate community-based disputes).
• These programs took place in the community after school programs and day care centers.
• Special-topic trainings continued by request.
• Parent workshops continued.
• Schools devised initiatives to “increase the peace.”

This comprehensive project has impacted over 129,000 students, 6,500 teachers and thousands of parents. Fortunately for PEF, this collaborative effort created a district-wide “implementation laboratory” where we refined best practices and developed enhancement methods. Variations of this model have been implemented in school districts throughout the United States.