Conflict resolution and peer mediation programs empower students to share responsibility for creating a safe school environment, and mediators help their peers summarize main points of their dispute and identify possible solutions. A primary objective of such programs is to ensure all students learn basic skills required to resolve conflicts. Usually, a guidance counselor or teacher supervises 15 to 20 hours of training. Peer mediators may be nominated by teachers or chosen by peers. One program in Montgomery County, Maryland, emphasizes sensitivity to cultural diversity and provides mediation services for students fluent in Spanish and Vietnamese. Programs have also been implemented in Westchester County, New York, in Charlottesville, Virginia, in West Virginia elementary schools, and in Ann Arbor, Michigan. A model program known as Peace Works provides a student mediation manual that explains basic peer mediation skills. Another model program in Ohio is known as the Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management. Several national organizations have disseminated instructional and training materials, including Educators for Social Responsibility, the National Association for Mediation in Education, the National Institute for Dispute Resolution, and the Children's Creative Response to Conflict. Conflict resolution and peer mediation programs offer alternatives to violence school, home, and community settings. The theoretical basis of these programs is discussed. 29 references