A comparative case study of integrated schools in two regions of conflict, this study addresses the potential and limitations of education to promote individual and societal processes of change and peace building. In modern societies, education is expected to play a central function in socializing young generations into their culture and the dominant societal narrative. In regions of conflict, this is most often done in segregated school systems that keep students from conflicting communities apart and ignorant of each other, education thus contributing to negative stereotypes and ongoing hostilities. Integrated schools in Northern Ireland and Israel challenge the conventional educational systems in these regions. By bringing conflicting communities - Catholic and Protestant in Northern Ireland, and Arab and Jewish in Israel - together into a school to study and work, integrated schools intend to raise an awareness of the other communities' narratives and aspirations and to promote peaceful coexistence. My study, based on qualitative research including interviews with teachers, principals and parents, classroom observations and document analysis, reveals the ways in which integrated schools in each region fulfill these stated goals, and compares them while highlighting similarities and differences, as well as best practices and approaches that transcend specific settings. A central argument of this work centers on that framework that I conceive of as the "Integrated 3Rs" that identifies the central values of integration as "Respect", "Recognition" and "Reconciliation". I termed the Integrated 3Rs in order to succinctly describe the conceptualizations and practices of integration in the schools. I found that in each region, educational staff and parents place a different emphasis on the transmission of these values. In Northern Ireland, the integrated schools emphasize "Respect" while in Israel, the integrated schools prioritize "Recognition" of each of the conflicting communities. The differences are significant in how reconciliation is understood and sought out, as well as in the methods and practices of the schools. Another argument of this research is that parents and teachers have had a significant role in the establishment and functioning of the schools, as well as being themselves strongly influenced by the schools. This finding provides further evidence for the contact hypothesis, which is a fundamental theoretical underpinning of many peace education initiatives. My conclusions suggest ways peace education takes place at the integrated schools and makes recommendations as to how to further these goals. In analyzing the ways integrated schools themselves challenge as well as reflect trends in the societies in which they function, this work reveals how the schools influence and are shaped by their environments. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]