Don't Fight, Mediate

Abstract

Peer mediation offers a way for students to settle disagreements without violence and without involving the traditional system of school discipline (Davis & Porter, 1985). Simply put, peer mediation offers another way for students to handle the inevitable conflicts of daily school life. Students trained as mediators help other students resolve disputes in a collaborative, win-win form of conflict resolution. In this way, students play a vital role in reducing violent behaviors and creating "safe schools." In this article, I present one high school mediation program that has been implemented and evaluated. First, a brief background about peer mediation is necessary.