The Conflict Resolution and Mediation Program (CRAMP) began in the Middle Country Central School District of Selden, N.Y., in 1981, funded by a grant from the New York State Education Department. The voluntary program offers dispute resolution services to district school administrators, students, and their parents at all grade levels. Vandalism, student violence, truancy, and general incorrigibility are the problems typically handled by the program. This study of the program relied on interviews with principals and participant observation conducted between March 1981 and April 1982. Nine principals were interviewed about the appropriateness of the mediation concept in the schools and how they have used the mediation process. Principals noted that mediation has been an important option in addressing interracial conflict, chronic truancy, and neighborhood violence which extends into school settings (e.g., bus stop incidents). The principals viewed mediation efforts as hampered by the nonparticipation of parents. Overall, mediation was generally conceived by the principals as a backup to more traditional methods of handling student misbehavior. Principals tended to use it when all other alternatives had been exhausted or as one among a battery of options for handling student problems. A few principals gave priority to mediation as an experimental option worth testing through regular use. 3 references.