Implementing the "Teaching Students To Be Peacemakers Program"

Abstract

The Teaching Students To Be Peacemakers Program trains every student in a school in the competencies they need to (a) resolve conflicts constructively and (b) make their schools safe places in which to learn. The program is directly based on the theory and research on constructive conflict resolution. More than 16 studies in 2 different countries have been conducted on the program's effectiveness. The evidence indicates that without training, children and adolescents tend to manage their conflicts in destructive ways. When given training, however, they learn how to engage in integrative negotiations and how to mediate their schoolmates' conflicts. They maintain their ability to do so months after the training has ended. They apply the learned procedures to actual conflicts in the classroom, school, and family settings. Learning the negotiation and mediation procedures can be integrated with academic learning in a way that enhances subject matter understanding.