Conflict Resolution Education - National Criminal Justice Reference ...

spent handling conflicts was reduced, as was the
number of violent incidents among students. 10
♦ The International Center for Cooperation and
Conflict Resolution at Columbia Teachers College
in New York initiated a conflict resolution
research project at a New York City alternative
high school. Results from the program indicated
positive effects on the students trained in conflict
resolution. These students improved their ability
to manage conflicts while experiencing more social
support and less victimization from others
than before. Improving relations with others led
to increased self-esteem, more positive feelings
of well-being, and decreased feelings of anxiety
and depression. Along with more self-esteem,
students perceived themselves as having greater
personal control over their fates. The increased
sense of personal control and positive feelings
of well-being led to improved academic performance.
Indirect evidence suggested that exposure
to the training also enhanced work readiness and
performance. 11
♦ The Harvard Graduate School of Education is
systematically evaluating the impact of the Program
for Young Negotiators (PYN). Preliminary
findings from the evaluation team suggest that
the majority of participating students are learning
and using the basic techniques taught by the program.
Most interviewed participants were able
to discuss in depth the importance of “talking it
out” to avoid fights and accomplish goals. They
stated that the program taught them that they
have options for dealing with conflicts with peers,
parents, and teachers. Reports from parents and
teachers confirmed that the youth did change
their behavior and handled conflicts without
resorting to violence. Participants also stated that
the program taught them skills for how to get
ahead in life, such as making plans and learning
how to state what they want and what they really
mean. The majority also described the experience
as fun because it used games and role-plays. This
point is important, because the fun experience
keeps students engaged in the training process
and facilitates their recall of the basic messages.
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Interviews revealed that most students could cite
concrete examples of using their negotiation skills
with peers and parents. Several students reported
that the practice of negotiation at home surprised
their parents, but generally the parents responded
positively to the switch from arguing, complaining,
and resisting to negotiating. Parents have
reported that the use of negotiation has created
opportunities for positive parent-child discussions.
Teachers who taught the curriculum evaluated
the training as useful to their work both in the
PYN and in their other classes. They reported
that the curriculum content and structure—
particularly the role-plays and negotiation
games—promoted important discussion of topics
such as decisionmaking, planning for the future,
and conflict resolution. The teachers also reported
seeing changes in the communication and conflict
resolution styles of many of the students
participating in the program. The benefits cited
by the six principals interviewed included an
improvement in the students’ ability to talk
through disagreements and an opportunity for
teachers to think through their own conflict
management style. 12
♦ In 1991, the Peace Education Foundation (PEF)
Conflict Resolution and Peer Mediation programs
were initiated throughout the region II public
schools in Dade County, Florida. School staff
were trained to establish classroom-based and
schoolwide student mediation programs and to
incorporate conflict resolution instruction into
school curriculums.
A review of mediator reports showed that 86 percent
of mediated conflicts were resolved. Student
Case Management Systems, a system used to
report incidents, showed a significant reduction
in the rate of referrals for general disruptive behavior
in the elementary schools that had the
highest levels of implementation. Furthermore,
the PEF conflict resolution model affected student
attitudes toward resolving conflicts positively.
Student surveys indicated that those who received
training were more willing to resolve
conflict situations through actions other than
threats and violence. 13