The benefits of peer mediation in the context of urban conflict and program status

Much research on the topic of violence prevention tends to survey the effec tiveness of programs, including peer mediation without attention to how pro grams are instituted and maintained in schools. This study of a high school peer mediation program examines several aspects of the process including t he training of student mediators, the curriculum, the dynamics of actual me diation sessions, and the comments of mediators and trainers as they descri bed the process. Peer mediation defines conflict in a way that prevents exa mination of certain conflict issues, especially those related to inequity a nd prejudice, Whereas peer mediation is designed to resolve conflicts in sc hools, it is the mediators themselves who benefit most from the programs-no t the disputants.