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Illinois School Board Journal
November-December, 1998

Practical PR:
Peer mediation works
by Debi S. Edmund

This article is adapted from a tip sheet on peer mediation programs in the current IASB School Public Relations packet. The quarterly PR Service is free to IASB member districts. If your school district is not receiving its free subscription, call either IASB office, extension 1108. Debi S. Edmund is contributing editor of the School PR Service and a frequent contributor to the Journal.

        In the face of rising violence among young people, peaceful conflict resolution is a skill well worth teaching and learning. Peer mediation programs, adopted in school districts around the country, have become a popular way to help students resolve conflicts before they develop into disruptive behavior, disciplinary problems or even violence.
        These programs train students to help other students handle their own disputes. Peer mediation recognizes the inevitability of conflict and teaches students to produce win-win solutions rather than the usual win-lose or lose-lose outcomes. In the process, students learn cooperation, multicultural awareness, and assertive as opposed to aggressive behavior.
        Proponents of peer mediation programs believe schools that have them can look forward to a more peaceful school climate, reduction in discipline problems and suspensions, and improved communications among students and teachers. Teachers can spend more time on instruction, mediators gain confidence in their ability to help themselves and others, and all students learn valuable conflict resolution skills that can be used on the job or at home.
        Students begin by learning that conflict is a natural, inevitable part of life. However, when left unresolved, conflict can escalate into verbal attacks, broken friendships, disruptive behavior, and even physical violence. Students are then taught that mediation is a process in which they identify, negotiate and develop solutions to conflicts that arise during the school day. Peers help them resolve the conflicts before they develop into more serious problems. The goal of mediation is to help students work together to come up with their own solutions in which everyone wins. Mediation is not about finding out who is right or wrong. Instead, students are encouraged to move beyond the immediate conflict and learn how to get along with each other.
        Students who are chosen as mediators get special training in a structured process that calls for active listening, reflective paraphrasing and issues clarification. They learn nonverbal communication skills, problem solving and negotiation, how to listen without taking sides, how to recognize similarities in needs and values, and how to handle difficult situations in a positive manner. They are also given guidance on such issues as confidentiality and when to refer someone for outside help.
        In the mediation sessions themselves, each party is encouraged to clearly state his or her position and to listen carefully to the opponent’s side. The mediator may clarify the situation by asking questions that help identify the underlying dispute and find out if there are points both sides can agree on. The mediator may then share with both parties how similar situations have been dealt with, help them focus on areas of agreement, and assist them in brainstorming for solutions that are satisfactory to everyone.
        For peer mediation programs to work, parents, school staff and the student body must be fully educated about the program and be willing to use it. Policies need to be established. But the work involved in establishing a peer mediation program is repaid over and over again, by the decrease in discipline problems, disruptions and the threat of violence.