Importing Peace Education from Belfast: A Prosocial Approach to School Improvement in the US

Abstract

This paper presents the results and experiences of one school within a unique university/K-12 school district partnership that approached school reform through a framework of peace education. Faced with the challenge of improving academic achievement in a district with a history of five years failing to meet Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) as defined by the No Child Left Behind Act, university faculty collaborated with elementary school teachers to implement principles of peace education that have been successfully applied at Oldwood Integrated Primary School in Belfast, Northern Ireland. As two university faculty involved in the project, we present challenges, theoretical perspectives, and the model that guided our initiative, the process, and results of social change in teaching practice.

Citation

Pickett, L. and Carson, S. (2006), "Importing Peace Education from Belfast: A Prosocial Approach to School Improvement in the US", Social Studies Research and Practice, Vol. 1 No. 3, pp. 327-339. https://doi.org/10.1108/SSRP-03-2006-B0004