One Miami (Fla.) area elementary school. Three classes (one class each from grades four, five and six) were selected as the experimental group. Three control classrooms, one from each of grade four, five and six, were chosen randomly from the remaining classrooms. Assignment of the children to classrooms was random. The experimental group consisted of 83 students; the control group included 88 students.

Teachers in the experimental group were trained in the PEF model. Those teachers then introduced students to the PEF during a seven-week implementation period. Teachers infused PEF concepts and skills into existing language arts and social studies curricula almost daily in 30 minute sessions. Students were also encouraged to solve interpersonal conflicts using knowledge and skills obtained through the sessions.

The experimental effect was measured through pre- and post-test teacher-administered surveys of student attitudes and knowledge, and through written, weighted incidence data by school staff regarding aggressive behaviors.

Pre- and post-test survey scores improved for the treatment group. Mean scores for the control group changed little. The sum of weighted behavior incidence data in the experimental group decreased from 82 to 1. A decrease also occurred in the control group, from 103 to 85. The reduction in the control group may have occurred because they were influenced by the experimental group outside of class time.

Results suggest the PEF model improved students’ conflict resolution behavior and support the hypothesis that this model is useful and beneficial in the classroom setting.

Powell, K. E., Muir-McClain, L. & Halasyamani, L. (1995) A review of selected school-based conflict resolution and peer mediation projects. Journal of School Health (65) 10, 426-431.

The student population of a single high school in Palm Beach County (Fla.) School District.

Olympic Heights High School teachers implemented the PEF model beginning in Fiscal Year (FY) 1996. In this first year, all teachers received training in the PEF model. Teachers from each academic department were instructed to teach specified lessons within a particular component of the PEF model. (e.g., Social Studies teachers taught the Understanding Conflict component, Language Arts teachers taught the Effective Communication component, etc.) Thus all students received the same lessons of all six components.
During FY97 and FY98, all teachers taught all components at a specified period. All students received the same lessons in a similar sequence from the same teacher.
One of the expected outcomes for a successfully implemented model is a marked reduction in the number of discipline incidents. To determine if Olympic Heights High School had any measurable improvement in their discipline data, researchers reviewed End-of-Year Incident Summaries, End-of-Year Action Summaries, and two areas of the School Environment Safety Incident Reports Summary Data for FY96, 97 and 98. Discipline data on aggressive behaviors was generated and analyzed from four other area high schools to measure and compare trends to Olympic Heights High School.

Olympic Heights High School had a significant reduction in fights each year from FY96 to FY98. Trend analysis comparisons with the four other area high schools indicates Olympic Heights demonstrated the only downward trend in fights during all three years studied.

Another area reviewed on the School Environment Safety Incident Report was the district-defined events which essentially represents the total number of discipline events at the school that were not considered serious, state-reportable events. Olympic Heights was the only high school in the area to show a decrease in the number of events from FY 97 to FY98.

The Incident Summary report for Olympic Heights High School for FY96 through FY98 revealed marked decrease in all categories of student discipline referrals, including the “3 D’s” (disobedience, disruptive and disrespectful language) on the student discipline referral form. The other four schools in this study all had increases each year for each of the “3 D” categories.

Finally, the number of duplicated suspensions out of school decreased dramatically from FY97 to FY98. Though there were no particular trends in suspensions with the other high schools reviewed, only Olympic Heights had a significant decrease in both duplicated and unduplicated out of school suspensions. Additionally, only Olympic Heights had a three-year downward trend in percentage of students suspended.

Safe Schools Center of the Palm Beach County School District (1998). Discipline data analysis report for Olympic Heights High School. West Palm Beach, FL: Safe Schools Center.

Thirty-seven elementary and middle schools in Miami-Dade County (Fla.) School District Region II.

This school district chose to create its own variation of the PEF model by implementing in two phases. The first phase (school year 1991-92) involved training one administrator and one counselor or teacher at each school in student mediation, and the subsequent training of a cadre of students to facilitate student mediation. The second phase involved the training of two teachers at each school in conflict resolution to teach conflict resolution to the student body. Several schools had all their teachers trained in conflict resolution skills. One school chose not to implement student mediation in order to focus on conflict resolution.

Data regarding student mediation was collected from Mediator Report Forms completed for each incident throughout the school year. Changes in student behavior were assessed using the records of referral incidents for misbehavior maintained in the schools district’s Student Case Management System (SCMS). A pre- and post-test survey was administered to six classes in a Region II elementary school to assess the attitudes of students who received training in conflict resolution. The same survey was administered to students in six classes in the same school and students in six classes in another school, none of whom had received training in conflict resolution. The classes were matched for grade level and racial/ethnic makeup.

There was a significant reduction in the rate of incidents from 1991-92 to 1992-93 in the elementary schools that had the highest levels of implementation of student mediation. The decline in incident rates could be attributed to an improvement in behavior at the schools. Survey results indicated that conflict resolution training changed student attitudes toward resolving conflicts positively. Trained students were more willing to respond to conflict with compromise rather than threats and violence.

Hanson, M. K. (1994) A conflict resolution/student mediation program: Effects on student attitudes and behaviors. Journal of School Research and Information 12 (4), 9-14.

163 parents who had participated in a PEF Fighting Fair for Families parent workshop (now revised and renamed Time Out! Resolving Family Conflicts) sponsored by the Safe Schools Center of the Palm Beach County (Fla.) School District.

Upon completion of a workshop, parents completed an initial survey consisting of seven questions. Parents were asked to signify their willingness to provide follow-up data by supplying the Safe Schools Center with a telephone number and first name, thus allowing telephone contact to be made approximately two months after conclusion of the workshop. The follow-up survey consisted of the original seven questions plus ten additional items. Between March and July, 1995, researchers made 358 contacts, yielding 163 completed responses.

Seventy-nine percent of respondents reported improvement with the way conflicts were handled in their homes. Seventy-six percent reported improvement in the way feelings are treated in their home. Seventy percent reported improvement in the way people listen to each other in their home. Fifty-six percent of respondents stated that, to some extent, the workshop affected the way their family talked to each other and resolved conflicts. Thirty-four percent of respondents stated the workshop affected their families communication and conflict resolution style a lot.

Safe Schools Center of the Palm Beach County School District (1995). Capsule summary: Fighting fair for families follow-up survey. West Palm Beach, FL: Safe Schools Center.