Story Starters: Violence Folder: School Violence File

Key Question:
What is the difference between negotiation and mediation, and which strategy is more effective as a violence prevention tool?

Lead:  
Learning Negotiation Skills Prevents Violent Confrontations From Developing

Brief Synopsis:
A typical strategy for teaching violence prevention in schools includes the involvement of a third party "mediator" who intervenes to stop conflict from escalating. The Program for Young Negotiators is taking a different approach to teach kids how to handle conflict - PYN stresses negotiation rather than mediation as an effective means for reducing conflict. At the middle school level, kids are equipped to understand the points of view of others. Learning to negotiate for what they want by first understanding the perspective of others is an invaluable tool for reducing conflict. To make negotiation possible, PYN teaches kids very specific communication skills to facilitate conflict resolution. Where mediation may work as an intervention strategy, negotiation is an effective prevention strategy.

Program
Program for Young Negotiators
Director : Karen Richardson
432 Columbia Street
Cambridge, MA 02141
(617) 225-7877 or 1-888-TEACH-PYN
website : http://www.pyn.org

Story Contact
Karen Richardson
Director of Boston Programming
432 Columbia Street
Cambridge, MA 02141
(617) 225-7877

Expert Contact
Jared Curhan
Founder : Program for Young Negotiators Stanford University
618 Everett Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 321-3232
Office Phone : (650) 723-1711
Email : curhan@Psych.stanford.edu
Relevant Area : negotiation and decision making strategies

Background

• Nine critical ingredients of promising approaches to violence prevention have been identified. Included in this list are the following : the program should begin in the primary grades and be reinforced across grade levels; program should be developmentally tailored; program should include content areas on social perspective taking, effective communication, and peer negotiation and conflict management. (Dusenbury, L., Falco, M., Lake, A., Brannigan, R., Bosworth, K. (Dec. 1997) “Nine critical elements of violence prevention programs” Journal of School Health. 67: (10) 409-414)
• A classic experiment by Muzafer and Sherif demonstrated that when conflicts arise between peer groups, the most likely way to reduce tension is to involve both groups in solving a common problem. (Sherif, M. & Sherif, C.W. 1953 “Groups in harmony and tension” New York : Harper & Row)
• Five factors were found to influence the formation of friendships in a study by John Gottman (1983). Gottman found that an important factor in forming positive, friendly relationships was the ability to resolve conflicts effectively. Children who became friends rather than adversaries were able to give good reasons for their disagreements and were able to bring their conflicts to a quick resolution. (Gottman, J.M. How children become friends. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 48 (3, Serial No. 201)
• Arrest rates for homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault are consistently and substantially higher for young people 15-34 years of age than for all other age groups. (Age-Specific Arrest Rates and Race-Specific Arrest Rates for Selected Offenses, 1965-1992. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Reports, December, 1993.)
• Arrest rates for homicide among youth 14-17 years of age increased 41% between 1989 and 1994, compared to an increase of 18% for youth 18-24 years of age. (Fox, J.A. Trends in Juvenile Violence; A Report to the United States Attorney General on Current and Future Rates of Juvenile Offending. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, March, 1996.)
• Homicide arrest rates decreased 19% for adults over 25 years of age between 1989 and 1994. (Fox, J.A. Trends in Juvenile Violence; A Report to the United States Attorney General on Current and Future Rates of Juvenile Offending. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, March, 1996.)
• In 1995, 7.6% or 1 in 12 students in a national survey reported carrying a firearm for fighting or self-defense at least once in the previous 30 days. In 1990, this was true of 4.1% or 1 in 24 students. (National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Website: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/dvp/yvfacts.htm)
• 70% of schools have police patrolling the hallways. (TimeDaily. Website : http://cgi.pathfinder.com/time/daily/0,2960,2184,00.html)
  
  Related coverage
  
  Adler, J., Gegax, T., and Pedersen, D. "The Boys Behind the Ambush: How Safe is Your School? Anatomy of a Schoolyard Shooting." Newsweek. April 6, 1998. The article describes and analyzes the two young boys accused of the Jonesboro shootings.
  
  Perry, Marcine. "Passionate Negotiator." Harvard Magazine. September-October 1998. The article describes the inspiration behind Jared Curhan’s decision to begin PYN, and also explains briefly what the group is currently doing.
  
  Smolowe, Jill. "Going Soft On Crime." Time. November 14, 1994. Volume 144, No. 20. This article discusses the advantages of prevention of violence over punishment.
  
  "Students Learn the Art of Win-Win Negotiation." Kaleidoscope, Harvard Project on Schooling and Children. Summer 1998. This article is specifically about the Project for Young Negotiators and describes the benefits it can have for young children.
  
  Compiled by:
  Elizabeth Curtis

  Posted: April 10, 1999
  Updated: February 15, 2000