Conflict Resolution and Mediation Program - An Alternative to Violence (From Alternative Means of Family Dispute Resolution, P 583-605, 1982, Howard Davidson et al, ed.)

• NCJ Number: 89843
• Author(s): B Brodsky
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 34 pages
• Sale Source: American Bar Assoc
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The Middle Country School District (New York State) uses the Conflict Resolution and Mediation Program as an alternative for resolving problem student behavior, and evaluation findings show the program to be successful in resolving disputes.

Abstract

The principal of each school has the option to refer cases for mediation when both sides agree to participate. After referral, the coordinator of mediation contacts each party to arrange a date, time, and place for the hearing. Two mediators, volunteers selected and trained, are scheduled for each case. After an agreement has been reached, the parents, students, and mediators sign a formal contract containing the elements of the agreement. The coordinator is present at each mediation session to consult with the mediators and check the agreement for its legality. The principal receives a copy of the agreement. If the agreement is broken, the case is returned to the principal. Principals, mediators, and disputants are periodically interviewed by the project evaluator. Evaluation has shown that every agreement mediated thus far has successfully resolved the dispute being negotiated, and about 95 percent of the agreements have remained intact. The skills emphasized in the training of the volunteer mediators are principles and techniques of conflict management, objectivity, neutrality, perceptivity, confidentiality, interviewing techniques, skills in bargaining, and awareness of one's impact on others. A manual, lectures, roleplaying, videotaping, and discussion periods are used to teach the mediating skills. Sample case histories, including agreements, are provided, along with forms used in the program.