Reports on violence prevention in an inner-city middle school. Interviews of students, deemed by peers and teachers as good at managing conflict, revealed eight themes. For example, student experts inoculated themselves in attitude to avoid violence; de-escalated situations when provoked; and believed the cost of fighting exceeds the reward. (RJM)

Boston College Conflict Prevention Program techniques for relaxation and self-control were taught to middle-school students in two Boston schools. Preliminary results from teacher interviews revealed that students spontaneously used these methods to calm their "fight-or-flight" reactions in real conflicts. Results also indicated that…

As part of an evaluation of a school-based mediation program, 35 student mediators and 35 control students in grades 5-7 from six schools were surveyed concerning conduct at school, school climate, attitudes toward fights, self-esteem, and problems-solving skills. Results indicate the program had positive effects on student mediators, particularly…

This report presents the results of the Office of Research, Evaluation, and Assessment's (OREA) evaluation of the implementation of the first year (1991-1992) of Project STOP (Schools Teaching Options for Peace), a comprehensive conflict resolution and peer mediation program for middle schools in the New York City Public Schools. It describes…

A 16-month evaluation sponsored by the National Institute of Justice compared the separate and combined impact of two New York City middle school violence prevention programs from February 1993 to June 1994. Project Schools Teaching Options for Peace (S.T.O.P.), a traditional conflict resolution program with a curriculum and peer mediation was…

This research digest reports on the efforts of Socratic Seminar methodology at Lookout Valley Middle School, a small middle school in Chattanooga (Tennessee). An integral part of the Paideia Schools Movement among public schools in Chattanooga, Socratic Seminars are well-planned opportunities for middle school students to engage in intelligent…

This issue of "Civic Partners" is a call to action on behalf of American's cities. The issue opens with John W. Gardner's discussion of the "responsibles" whose vision and energy sustain communities. He stresses that all of us are "responsibles." Among the many tasks that face those responsible for urban improvement is the teaching of conflict…

This action research project evaluated a program to reduce inappropriate behavior and maximize prosocial skills. The program involved development and implementation of cooperative learning, weekly prosocial lessons, a conflict resolution program, and a community service project. The target population consisted of 240 seventh and eighth grade…

Violent incidents among at-risk middle school and high school students are discussed. The type and frequency of these incidents are identified, but the focus is on factors such as the relationship among the antagonists, the sequence of events and escalations, and the goals and justifications cited by the students. Information is drawn from…

Project Survival was a special innovative project conducted by the Atlanta (Georgia) Public Schools in the summer of 1991. By combining instruction in basic skills, opportunities to learn and practice conflict resolution strategies, and work experience, Project Survival addressed some of the major problems associated with high dropout and…