Educators for Social Responsibility (ESR) helps educators create safe, caring, respectful, and productive learning environments.
Educators for Social Responsibility (ESR)

Elementary School

Making a difference

Too many of our children feel unsafe and unsupported to do their best and be their best. In the face of persistent achievement gaps, legislators and decision-makers are pinning their hopes on the results from standardized tests as the single indicator for measuring how well our students are doing.

Schools place a narrow focus on academics and test preparation. “Zero tolerance” policies and punishments remain the preferred quick fix for dealing with unwanted student behavior.

But there is another way.

Since the early 1980s, Educators for Social Responsibility (ESR) has been a voice for positive change in America’s education system–a voice that says we must teach and inspire the whole child if we are to develop active, contributing members of our communities. Today, ESR is a leading educational solutions provider helping to create schools where young people want to be and teachers want to teach.

ESR is a national leader in prevention, social and emotional learning, diversity education, character education, and conflict resolution programming in elementary schools across the country. Our programs and resources have a proven track record and measurable results. We support teachers, counselors, principals, parents, and others in the essential work of:

  • Helping students develop and strengthen social skills, emotional competencies, and qualities of character that increase interpersonal effectiveness, reduce aggressive and anti-social behavior and intolerance, and enhance academic achievement;
  • Creating peaceable (safe, caring, and respectful) classroom environments;
  • Establishing a safer school and more positive peer culture.

ESR provides the practical know-how, training, coaching, and resources to help you implement changes that educators, students, and families feel good about. We offer a wide range of programs, services, and workshops, each tailored to your unique needs. These include:

  • The Resolving Conflict Creatively Program™ (RCCP)  RCCP is a research-based, K-8 program that helps adults create peaceable schools and homes, and helps young people develop the skills to prevent aggressive and anti-social behavior, form caring relationships, and build healthy lives. RCCP now serves more than 400 schools nationwide.
  • Peace in the Family
  • Peer Mediation

Four things distinguish ESR’s work with elementary schools. Our peaceable classrooms model integrates academics with social development. Our widely acclaimed curricula are loaded with practical, time-tested lessons that help students develop the skills to cooperate and resolve conflicts productively. Our classroom management and teaching strategies foster self-discipline and problem solving. And we have a proud history of delivering professional development that is experiential and transformative.

ESR is committed to providing national leadership in forging a broader vision of education—one that calls for educating the heart as well as the mind.

To find out how ESR can help your school, district, after-school program, or early childhood center, contact us at 800-370-2515 ext. 19 and we’ll show you how together we can make a difference.