Since the programs around the nation are relatively new, there are no quantitative studies of their impact available yet. The International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution has completed a longitudinal study, to be published in 1992. Students report that they feel better about themselves and safer at school. They handle conflicts quickly, sometimes taking only minutes to deal with situations. Often the best student mediators are those who had been considered troublemakers.
Teachers report fewer fights and more caring student behavior.
Administrators, noticing improved attendance and a dramatic decline in the number of suspensions, find that they spend less time on disciplinary matters. Conflict resolution programs are best used as part of a long-range comprehensive plan to improve the learning climate at a school and to teach students alternatives to violence. Thus, conflict resolution should be included as a regular part of the school programs and curricula. Although there is a growing body of practice and theory, the conflict resolution movement is less than ten years old. Conflict resolution is not yet part of the curriculum in the vast majority of colleges of education.