Following a 1987 high school shooting death, Portland, Oregon, school officials acted swiftly to counter gang activity. Superintendent Matthew Prophet held a press conference in February 1988 to announce the school board's new antigang policies. Today, though gang violence remains a citywide problem, it has been controlled in the schools. You also have to teach them prosocial skills. Curricula that teach nonviolent ways of resolving conflict are a promising preventive strategy.
Lessons work to build empathy and teach impulse control and anger management.
For example, in a lower grade lesson, the teacher displays a picture of a face. Other pictures show groups of children in social situations involving conflict. Discussion is aimed at helping children identify and describe emotions. Becoming aware of other options is important. Peer conflict management, which evolved from successful peer tutoring programs, is used at elementary, middle, and high school levels.