As the world pauses for the one-year anniversary of the events of September 11, we as conflict resolution practitioners should take time to reevaluate our work, values, and motivations.  The tragedies of that day should cause us to reflect on our ideals and the image of the world that we seek. 

As professionals who assist disputants in resolving conflict, we have a special responsibility to rededicate our efforts at educating our clients on how to deal with conflict in constructive and nonviolent ways.  We are all teachers, be it of our clients, our colleagues, our neighbors, or our children.   This teaching might be considered informal education because it is not structured in approach.  This is contrasted with formal education, which often consists of classes or programs on peace and conflict resolution. 

What I wish to explore here are the range of courses and programs dealing with peace and conflict resolution that exist in the formal educational environment - elementary school through graduate school - in Maryland today.   In the process, I hope to demonstrate the importance of teaching peace and conflict resolution at all levels.  I want to emphasize that no

matter what our roles - mediator, educator, researcher- we are all working toward the same ends: a more peaceful society


The Maryland Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO) (www.courts.state.md.us/adr.html), the successor to the ADR Commission, has supported a number of creative programs that promote nonviolence. 

Social scientists tell us that reducing violence is never solved merely by teaching students the skills of mediation. Quite often, the primary beneficiaries of these programs are the peer mediators themselves who generally have higher levels of emotional intelligence.  Violence is cultural and deep-seated.  Some of its catalysts include economic, social, and political inequity; cultural and religious intolerance; racism; and ignorance.  For these reasons, programs are increasingly looking beyond basic mediation training and considering conflict and violence in a broad context. 

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As conflict resolution and mediation practitioners, one of the many hats we all wear is education - educating the public, our clients and our communities about the benefits and importance of conflict resolution. The Fall 2002 Edition is truly unique.  For this edition, we have voices of three practitioners who share their own perspectives and experiences as educators, teachers and trainers in our field. I hope you will enjoy Professor David Smith's piece about the many, wonderful  academic opportunities in Maryland; Bette Hoover speaks about her experience in Africa educating and what she learned herself. Finally,  Dana Morris-Jones talks about adult learning theory and current organizational design models, applied to conflict resolution work.        (Continued on Page 11)