Peace education causes a stir

[LWolf]

http://www.latimes.com/news/education/la-me-class9jul09,1,4463428.story?coll=la-news-learning

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The semester-long elective class, which meets twice a week, has resulted in "a big difference in the students," said former Principal Fernando Rivera, who recently moved to another assignment in Santa Paula. "They seem to have a different perspective on things, and we have had fewer fights on campus."

That is the driving idea behind peace education, which is taught in a smattering of public high schools and about 70 universities nationwide. The movement is "in its infancy," said Colman McCarthy, founder of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Teaching Peace, and is not without controversy.

McCarthy, who trained Wells, said peace educators often are the target of attacks from "right-wingers saying you are a commie pinko," or from other faculty members who "think you're in there propagandizing the kids."

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