Conflict Resolution Education: An Examination of Student Learning Outcomes (10/25/10)
Judy Rashid
Learning should be a transformative activity that integrates academic learning and student development. Often students are expected to know how to handle conflict without being taught the skills; thus, student conduct could be affected. This paper describes quantitative student learning assessment results from an undergraduate course in Conflict Resolution. Results indicate changes in students attitude and learning toward conflict resolution and self-perception.

Oregon State Agency Dispute Resolution Programs and Collaborative Problem-Solving Activities (4/10/09)
Mike Niemeyer
On April 2nd, 2009 the Oregon Department of Justice published a report on state agency dispute resolution programs. The report reviews the impacts, trends and activities of Oregon’s dispute resolution programs and collaborative problem-solving efforts over the last two years.

Report from the Wingspread Conference on Domestic Violence and Family Courts (3/31/08)
Clare Dalton, Nancy Ver Steegh
In February of 2007 the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts brought together a working group of thirty-seven experienced practitioners and researchers to identify and explore conceptual and practical tensions that have hampered effective work with families in which domestic violence has been identified or alleged. Five central sets of issues were raised at the conference and are discussed in this report. These include the following: differentiation among families experiencing domestic violence; screening and triage; participation by families in various processes and services; appropriate outcomes for children; and family court roles and resources. The report emphasizes the need for continued multidisciplinary collaboration in order to better serve families affected by domestic violence and it includes an appendix of consensus points as well as suggestions for formation of ongoing work groups.

RAND Mediation Evaluation (11/27/07)
John Windmueller

Here’s an oldie but goodie: a RAND’s “Evaluation of Mediation and Early Neutral Evaluation Under the 1990 Civil Justice Reform Act”

Mediation advocates are quick to point toward research that strongly supports the value of the work we do, but it’s important to also keep in mind the studies that have been less-than-enthusiastic or definitive about mediation’s value. Here’s the summary of the report’s findings:

An Evaluation of Mediation and Early Neutral Evaluation Under the Civil Justice Reform Act

By: James S. Kakalik, Terence Dunworth, Laural A. Hill, Daniel F. McCaffrey, Marian Oshiro, Nicholas M. Pace, Mary E. Vaiana

The Civil Justice Reform Act of 1990 (CJRA) required each federal district court to develop a case management plan to reduce costs and delay. The legislation also created a pilot program to test six principles of case management, and required an independent evaluation to assess their effects. This report is one of four documents describing the evaluation, which was conducted by RAND’s Institute for Civil Justice. The report describes an assessment of the effects of six different alternative dispute resolution (ADR) programs that included mediation and early neutral evaluation. The study found that, once litigation had begun, referral to ADR was not a panacea, nor was it detrimental. Neither time nor costs nor lawyer views of satisfaction or fairness changed significantly as a result of referral to any of these programs; however, lawyers and litigants who participated in the programs liked them. The only statistically significant finding was that cases referred to ADR were more likely to have a monetary outcome. See also MR-800-ICJ, MR-801-ICJ, and MR-802-ICJ.

The complete text of the report is available for download in pdf format here.

Statement Of Restorative Justice Principles (5/21/02)
Restorative Justice Consortium of the UK
The Restorative Justice Principles developed by the Restorative Justice Consortium of the UK with input from some practitioners in the US forwarded by Ann Warner Roberts Center for Restorative Justice & Peacemaking (CRJ&P), University of Minnesota, USA   1 Comment

Resolving Workplace Disputes (11/07/01)
Secretary of the Treasury, U.S. Read the Memorandum that current Secretary of the Treasury, Paul H. O'Neill, sent to all employees.   4 Comments

Confidentiality in Federal Alternative Dispute Resolution Programs (2000) (6/04/01)
Federal Alternative Dispute Resolution Council The document contains detailed guidance on the nature and limits of confidentiality in Federal ADR programs and also includes guidelines for a statement on these issues that Federal neutrals may use in ADR proceedings.   1 Comment

The Role of Ombudsmen in Dispute Resolution (2001) (6/04/01)
United States General Accounting Office An ombudsman office can be an integral part of an organization’s human capital management strategy to create a fair, equitable, and nondiscriminatory workplace. Because of the important role that ombudsmen can play in an agency’s management of its human capital, the General Accounting Office has prepared an up-to-date perspective on the role of ombudsmen in resolving workplace issues.

Evaluating ADR Programs (2001) (4/07/01)
Federal Alternative Dispute Resolution Council For the past ten years the practice of ADR, the creation of ADR programs, and the discipline of ADR evaluation have been developing in tandem. We have learned that organizations best design and develop ADR programs by knowing an organization’s conflict resolution culture, we see that evaluation can and should be a reflective feedback mechanism for ADR program development, and that evaluation belongs at the beginning of ADR program design. While evaluation is ideally present at the beginning of ADR program development, we recognize that there are many ADR programs already up and running that do not have evaluation components. This chapter will address ADR programs at any stage along the way of program development.   1 Comment

Report Of The Interagency ADR Working Group To The President (2001) (1/19/01)
Interagency ADR Working Group
The Interagency Alternative Dispute Resolution Working Group was created by Presidential Memorandum dated May 1, 1998, to assist agencies in utilizing these more effective ways to handle conflict. This Report sets forth the activities and successes of the Working Group thus far. Forum Discussion

Court-Annexed Mediation: A Critical Perspective on Selected State and Federal Programs (Book Review) (11/15/98)

Review by: The Alternative Newsletter Editor, James Boskey
Published by: Pike & Fisher, 4600 East-West Highway, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814-1438 (396pp 1998)

Research on Impact of ADR (2/02/98)
Massachusetts Trial Court Taken from Report to the Legislature on the Impact of Alternative Dispute Resolution on the Massachusetts Trial Court. Prepared by the Supreme Judicial Court/Trial Court Standing Committee on Dispute Resolution for the Chief Justice for Administration and Management of the Trial Court -- February 2, 1998. Forum Discussion

Employers' Experiences With ADR In The Workplace (1997) (6/11/97)
United States General Accounting Office The term ADR covers a variety of dispute resolution techniques, usually involving intervention or facilitation by a neutral third party. ADR methods—arbitration and mediation in particular—date back to the early 1900s. Originally, ADR was used mostly to resolve disputes involving employees who were covered by collective bargaining agreements. More recently, organizations began applying ADR methods to disputes involving other employees as well.   1 Comment

Employment Discrimination: Most Private-Sector Employers Use ADR (1995) (6/20/95)
United States General Accounting Office
This report, written in 1995, examines the extent to which private-sector employers use ADR approaches, especially arbitration. Questionnaire results suggested that most employers with 100 or more employees use one or more ADR approaches. Arbitration is one of the least common approaches reported.