PeaceWorks

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Designated
SELect
Indicates that a program demonstrates evidence of effectiveness at improving student outcomes at the highest level, supports students’ social and emotional growth through all five competencies, and offers multi-year programming. For a full list of SELect student outcomes see SELect designation.

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    Program description

    Peace Works, offered by the Peace Education Foundation, provides a lesson-based approach to SEL. It includes programming for grades preK-12 and demonstrates evidence of effectiveness in preK. Translated materials for Peace Works are available in Spanish. Select teacher guides are also in French and Haitian Creole.

    Strategies supporting educational equity

    Peaceworks provides strategies for working with bias and youth action projects. This includes a focus on one of its essential six components, the role of perception and diversity, during training. Peaceworks also provides guidance and lessons to support students in identifying a community challenge and formulating a strategy to improve it.

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        • SEL lessons
        • Relationship building
        • SEL generalization
      • Onsite in-person training
      • Virtual training
      • Offsite training
      • Train the trainer model
      • Administrator support
      • Coaching
      • Technical assistance
      • Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)
      • Online resource library
      • Self-report tools for monitoring implementation
      • Observational tools
      • Tools for measuring student success

    Evidence of effectiveness

    Results from a randomized control trial (RCT) published in 2009 supported the effectiveness of Peaceworks: Peacemaking Skills for Little Kids for pre-kindergarten students. This evaluation included 296 pre-kindergarten students enrolled in urban schools in the US Southeast (Latinx = 57%, white = 24%, Black = 19%; 12% of students’ parents did not complete high school). Students who participated in the program had greater improvements in teacher-reported problem behaviors (i.e., externalizing behaviors) and emotional distress (i.e., internalizing behaviors), as well as improvements in teacher-reported positive behaviors (i.e., cooperation, interaction, independence) compared to students in the control group (9 months after baseline, analyses controlled for outcome pretest).

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    • Evidence shown in grades
      Pre-K
      School characteristics
        • Urban
        • Southeast
      Student characteristics
      • Black / African American
      • Hispanic / Latinx
      • White
      Percentage Low Income
      • Percentage of students whose parents did not complete high school: 12%
      Study design type
      • RCT
      Greater than 350 students included in study design type
      • No
      Multiple school districts included at study design type
      • No
      • Improved academic performance
      • Reduced emotional distress
      • Improved identity development and agency
      • Reduced problem behaviors
      • Improved school climate
      • Improved school connectedness
      • Improved social behaviors
      • Improved teaching practices
      • Improved other SEL skills and attitudes

    How does PeaceWorks support SEL implementation across multiple settings?

    “PeaceWorks (PK-12) provides teachers with many strategies for infusing aspects of the program throughout the classroom and within core academic content areas. It also offers support to administrators and staff with additional components for school-wide programs, outreach to families and parenting skills, and early childhood and afterschool programs.”

    Get info and pricing on the provider’s website

    Go to Provider Site

    References

    • Accepted by CASEL

    • Pickens, J. (2009). Socio-emotional programme promotes positive behaviour in preschoolers. Child Care in Practice, 15, 261-278.
    • Other references

    • Barnett, R., Adler, A., Easton, J., & Howard, K.P. (2001). An evaluation of peace education foundation’s conflict resolution and peer mediation program. School Business Affairs, July 2001, 29-39.

    • Hanson, M. K. (1994). A conflict resolution/student mediation program: Effects on student attitudes and behaviors. ERS Spectrum, 12, 9-14.

    • Lacey, C.H., LeBlanc, P.R., & Maldanado, N.L. (2009). Affective Education through Best Practices and Conflict Resolution In P.R. LeBlanc & N. P. Gallavan (Eds.), Affective teacher education: Exploring connections among knowledge, skills, and dispositions (pp. 143). Rowman & Littlefield Education, Lanham, MD.

    • Powell, K. E., Muir‐McClain, L., & Halasyamani, L. (1995). A review of selected school‐based conflict resolution and peer mediation projects. Journal of School Health, 65, 426-431.
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