The director of curriculum support services at Oregon's Wasco Education Service District discusses methods that superintendents, board members, and school leaders can use to control conflicts in their school organizations. Surveyed were 239 Oregon school board members and 135 superintendents who were asked to identify which of the following…

There are no simple answers to the tricky business of managing conflict within organizations. Almost every conflict is a unique case with its own issues, participants, dynamics, and consequences. Still, it appears possible to differentiate between organizations that handle conflict productively and those that do not. Successful organizations view…

The role of the academic dean, role conflicts, and the occupational experiences and performance of deans are considered. Role conflict for academic deans is related to clashing constituencies, role ambiguity, lack of correspondence between organization requirements and the personalities of incumbent deans, changing organizational needs over time,…

Four areas of college management responsibility are reviewed: the mission of the organization; administrator/faculty relationship; individual stress; and measuring organizational health. According to Argyris (1980) an organization updates its goals (1) as a consequence of detecting and solving routine problems, and (2) through periodical…

This theme journal issue is devoted to an exploration of peace and its history in Iowa. The features and activities include: Iowa's Peace Tradition; A Global View; World Map; A Mesquakie Tale; Swords into Plowshares; Make a Peace Crane; Student Protest; Goldfinch Patriotism Debate; Peace Meal; A Short Story; and Work It Out. (DB)

The incidence of school violence has increased in recent years. In response to the escalation, Deborah Prothrow-Stith developed a violence prevention curriculum to be taught in high schools; it has also been used in middle schools. The first section of this journal issue's report, "Confronting an Epidemic" offers details of Prothrow-Stith's…

A growing number of schools and districts are considering using teams to handle all types of decision making and advisory activities. The term "teams" can be applied to a wide spectrum of groups with various purposes or powers. This bulletin was designed to assist those who want to create efficient, successful teams. It provides…

This newsletter focuses on what works in inclusive education. A major article is "Inclusive Education: Needs of Minnesota Families--Major Findings from a 'Together We're Better' Study." This article presents findings of a statewide survey of families of children with disabilities. Findings are categorized within four areas: (1)…

This publication examines the extent and nature of school violence and reviews promising approaches to creating safe schools and peacefully resolving conflicts. The feature article, "School Violence: An Overview" (Margaret Small and Kellie Dressler Tetrick), provides an understanding of the nature of the challenges to safety and discusses ways to…

This publication summarizes five works exploring the key role schools can play in dealing with emotionally disturbed students, in part because teachers are more reliable sources of information about troubled youths. The importance of interpersonal cognitive problem-solving (ICPS) skills is analyzed in "Preventing Violence the Problem Solving…

This article grew out of a roundtable of national leaders in higher education which explored questions regarding the role of, and trust in, institutional leaders when faced with seemingly insurmountable problems. The essay argues that while individual responses to change are certain to differ by institutional setting and circumstance, the very…

Research confirms the fact that violence is a growing problem in American society. The frequency of reports of youth involved in violent acts reflects an inability to handle conflicts in safe, constructive ways among this age group. Although the business of schools is to educate, many students are more concerned with their own safety than…

Current research on school effectiveness concludes that differences among schools affect students' academic achievement. An important characteristic of effective schools is providing a safe and secure environment. An example of programs that address this issue are peer mediation or conflict resolution programs. These programs require the combined…

This document contains three issues of "Training Ideas," a bimonthly publication of instructional materials and articles dealing with human resource development. The premiere issue (1984) includes the following articles: "Information Retrieval: Finding That Lost Article" by Patrick Suessmuth; "Increasing Learning in Printed Materials through the…

A compilation of 13 social studies activities suitable for immediate application in the classroom includes teaching ideas for both elementary and secondary teachers. Activities comprise a simulated mapping expedition to Jamestown colony; a folktale illustration of moral dilemmas; taped interviews with Soviet citizens; simulated employment…