NOTABLE MEDIATORS: PEER MEDIATORS IN SCHOOLS

Programs to teach students peaceful problem-solving to resolve conflicts were developed in the mid-1960s and early 1970s. Some of these programs advocated teaching every student to better manage conflicts; others emphasized training a small cadre of students to serve as mediators. By the early 1980s, the student cadre programs began to be called Peer Mediation.

Peer Mediation varies widely from school to school. In most, mediation is an alternative to formal disciplinary measures for low-level disruptive behavior.

Peer Mediation has been used for a wide range of conflicts in schools, including minor physical aggression (hitting, kicking, scratching, and pushing), verbal aggression (teasing, name-calling, insults, and threats), rumors and gossip, and minor property damage or loss. The majority of student conflicts are a result of gossiping (“she said and you said”), name-calling, boy/girlfriend issues, and other minor misunderstandings.

If written resolutions are a measure of effectiveness, studies show rates varying from 60% to 90%. However, even if the mediation did not result in a written agreement, the process itself gave the students an opportunity to express themselves and be heard in a calm, safe, and non-threatening environment. As a result, recent studies have documented reduced teacher and administrator time spent on discipline, violence and crime, less suspensions, and increased self-esteem and academic achievement.

I strongly recommend participation in these programs. Peer mediators and the students involved not only resolve the immediate conflict, but learn dispute resolution skills that carry over into family and adult life.

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Fred Jandt is the author of several books, including his latest, “How To Survive a Mediation.”