Peer mediation is used in schools to settle disputes that could potentially escalate into more violent confrontations. Requests for peer mediation may be submitted by students, teachers, counselors, safety officers and administrators. The disputants agree to the mediation which is then led by trained student peers. At the end, the disputants can agree to the mediation terms. A systematic sample (n=716) of every other peer mediation report from Peace Centers in four middle and two high schools was entered on disk and analyzed. Mediation was most frequently requested by either one of the disputants (28.8%) or an administrator (28.5%) followed by teachers (22.6%) and safety officers (9.2%). Most incidents involved name calling, rumors, teasing, and arguments with two boys more likely to be in a dispute over shoving and pushing while two girls were more likely than boys to be in a dispute over friendships. Disputes between girls tended to involve more than two students while disputes between boys were more likely to involve just the two of them. Disputes involving just girls tended to originate in the halls while disputes involving boys tended to originate in the classroom. Overall 84.8% of the mediations were considered resolved with bullying having the lowest percent resolved (78.9%). About 4% of mediations involved suspensions, usually requested by building or district administrators as a condition for reinstatement.
Learning Objectives: 1. describe how peer mediation and peace centers work in a secondary school setting. 2. list characteristics associated with types of disputes and their resolution.
Keywords: Violence Prevention, Adolescents
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Lansing School District, Lansing Michigan
Safe Schools/ Healthy Students Initiative
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Evalutor of Safe Schools Healthy Students Initiative Lansing School District, Lansing MI