This article describes a conflict resolution and peer mediation program implemented in three middle schools. The program used a school-wide conflict resolution curriculum and enlisted a core group of trained peer mediators in each school. A resolution acceptable to disputing parties was reached more than 95 percent of the time. (Contains 11…

Gifted learning-disabled and average learning-disabled middle school boys (n=42) in grades 6-9 were compared on ways they cope with difficult school situations. Although no group differences were found on the Coping Resources Inventory, significant differences were found in the actual strategies the groups reported using, with gifted students…

The purpose of this paper is to facilitate the continuation of the steering committee at Hopkinsville Middle School after the Teacher Corps Project is completed. It was the general consensus of teachers and administrators that the committee served a valuable function in developing and implementing successful inservice programs. A report is given…

This study determined the effectiveness of a conflict resolution curriculum on the attitudes and interactions of 18 seventh-grade students at a suburban middle school that served predominantly Caucasian, middle-class students. Students completed the curriculum 3 days per week for 7 weeks. Before and after the program, students filled out the…

This paper presents findings of a case study conducted at a middle school to understand how substantive change occurs in a school that has moved beyond the initial transition stage. The study was conducted during the 1991-92 school year at Cross Keys Middle School in Florissant, Missouri, which was changing from a traditional junior high school to…

This study examined the outcomes of student conflict mediation at two urban middle schools in California. Data collection involved observations, interviews, and instrumentation with the Mediation Rating Profile (C. Carter, 1998), and a writing prompt. Several mediation agreements contained avoidance resolutions, such as "stay away from each…

Preventing high school violence takes more than security measures alone. Problem-solving approaches involve skill-building strategies that teach students conflict-resolution skills that become alternatives to the use of violence. Peace-making strategies seek to improve school climate by targeting key relationships in the school. Lists eight steps…

By reading fiction designed for adolescents, teachers can learn how to help middle school children to resolve the conflicts characteristic of their lives. Analyses of 23 such books that focused on the ways that 10- to 16-year-old characters cope with a variety of problems and on the roles that adults play in causing or helping to alleviate those…

The current status of student government's role in the school decision making of a New York junior high school is examined in this case study. The student body, faculty, and administration responded to a 37-item questionnaire which examined their attitudes toward student government activities and importance in school decision making. The results…

Recognizing that violent behavior is a complex phenomenon that is manifested in many different ways, the focus of this paper is to inform the development and implementation of school-based violence prevention strategies. The Second Step Program of the Jefferson County Public Schools is highlighted as an example of a successful violence prevention…

This article describes the application of constructive conflict resolution techniques in a middle-school program for students with behavior disorders, discussing the use of mediation, negotiation, constructive controversy, and classroom meetings. Initial efforts to explore the impact of the program are recounted, and implications for implementing…

This article describes a tense situation in which two middle school teachers had a fight in a public area on parent conference day. Another teacher and an educational psychologist present their views on how to handle such a situation, support teachers, and foster collegiality. (SM)

This article describes a school-wide violence prevention program at one Oregon middle school. The school implemented the Second Step curriculum, which teaches students nonviolent alternatives to address conflict and concepts of empathy, impulse control, problem solving, and anger management. The process used to select, implement, and evaluate the…

This paper discusses peace education curriculum in the Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Public School district. The peace education promotion has been in existence for 10 years and was created in response to rising levels of violence. Specifically examined are the uses of peace education at Fritsche Middle School, a school that has proven the positive…

Provides guidelines for educators to prepare for potentially difficult parent conferences and to conduct them to a successful conclusion. Suggestions include anticipating concerns, accentuating the positive, listening to parents, being truthful, being firm, being polite, offering solutions and assistance, asking for suggestions, admitting…