Although anecdotal evidence supports the usefulness of peer helper programs and related training, there is little published quantitative data on the effectiveness of peer helper training. The purpose of the present study was (1) to examine whether or not training for a peer helper program provided student mediators with the essential skills needed…

This booklet is intended to help parents and teacher activists think critically about the problem of violence in their schools and about how to respond. The booklet offers a framework for analyzing violence prevention programs that may already be in place in the schools, and it provides ideas for improving programs or starting new ones. The…

Describes a process used by the Downtown Alternative School, Toronto, Canada, to resolve conflicts among the students there. Offers the perspectives of the teachers, students, parents, and observers on the effectiveness of the approach. (TB)

Peer helping has become a popular method of dispute resolution in many secondary schools. However, evaluation of such programs is usually anecdotal in content. In order to add to the quantitative data on the effectiveness of peer helping, a peer helping effectiveness scale was designed and implemented; the results of this evaluation effort are…

This report evaluates the second and third years of conflict resolution programs that were established at both the elementary and secondary levels during the 1991-92 school year. The programs emphasized peer mediation, in which students in conflict meet with a pair of students trained in mediation skills. The mediators attempt to open…

This practicum project evaluated the effectiveness of a peer counseling, mentoring, and tutoring program to enhance the transition of students from elementary to middle school by reducing behavior problems and absenteeism, and by enhancing students' ability to deal with academic or peer difficulties. The problem of adjustment to the transition…

Details how one urban middle school took an active stand against violence by establishing programs in student leadership, conflict resolution, peer mediation, and violence prevention. Highlights benefits, student participation and training, and several innovative alternatives to suspension and traditional school discipline measures of the program,…

Parents' Fair Share (PFS) was a national demonstration program to help low-income noncustodial parents find more stable and better-paying jobs, pay child support consistently, and become more involved parents. PFS provided the following services: employment and training services; peer support groups; voluntary mediation between parents; and…