Challenging society's obsession with academic achievement as the sole measure of an individual's potential, and celebrating the process that allows children to resolve each other's problems and conflicts, the pioneering work by an internationally recognized expert argues that schools must change to allow children to develop their mediation skills in order that they can fully contribute to the economy and to society. Both authoritative and accessible, the text is an invaluable reference for anyone involved in education as well as those looking for alternative approaches to discipline, who recognize the need for a change in relationships within schools.