Describes conflict involving disputes in the school or living environment that may cause physical or psychological harm to children. Proposes a systematic approach to help children cope with the traumatic events they face during their developmental years. (Author/ABB)

The chancellor of the University of Massachusetts has reached agreement with Black student protesters who were angered by recent alleged racial incidents on campus. Demands included suspension of students and an employee involved in the incidents, cultural support, revision of the student code, and increased minority enrollments. (MSE)

A legal education course that teaches senior high school students how different cultures resolve conflicts is described. Students need to see that our system of justice is only one among many, all of which have shortcomings, external influences, and internal variance. (RM)

Reviews the recent history of custody conflicts between foster and birth parents in the Pennsylvania courts. Traces the development of laws relating to foster care and examines conflicts between the legal system and child welfare services. (JAC)

Suggests child care supervisors keep an objective distance when giving staff constructive criticism. (HOD)

The rapid hiring and firing of college athletic coaches, the litigation brought in breach of employment contracts, and the special problems presented by coaching contracts have raised hard legal questions about proper methods of contract enforcement and recovery of damages. (MSE)

Classrooms can serve as laboratories for experimenting with collaboration rather than win-lose conflict styles. Productive conflict tactics and patterns of interaction can be used for all parties to learn effective conflict management. (Author/MSE)

Identifies 15 trends in organizational development in the categories of the macrosystem, the human resource system (group dynamics and interpersonal intervention), and the individual in organizations. (SK)

This simulation is intended to help secondary students better understand the workings of administrative agencies. The setting is an environmental controversy (preservation of a valley as a wilderness area or converting it to a recreation area); however, the general idea can be easily adapted to almost any functioning administrative agency. (RM)

Establishment of an office of state ombudsman to resolve faculty disputes at state-supported institutions is recommended. The education ombudsman would have no decision-making authority but would have strong recommendation power, and would be free of internal institutional politics. (MSE)

Inadequate internal communication resulting from two successive, divisive strikes led the Jefferson Union High School District in Daly City, California, to develop a district-wide system of renewal committees at all administrative levels to encourage collaborative efforts to improve education. The development and characteristics of the renewal…

Explores the effects of training children to construct persuasive arguments and to compromise in situations in which their interests conflict with other children. Found that even very limited instruction can produce some improvement in communicative performance. (PD)

Discusses the rationale and strategies needed to help those children placed in long-term foster family care face the reality of their biological parents through some form of relationship. This idea is illustrated by several case study examples. (Author/BB)

Classroom strategies for helping secondary social studies students develop the following types of creative thinking are suggested: (1) the ability to generate alternative courses of action or alternative solutions in a problem solving situation; (2) the ability to perceive and predict consequences; and (3) the ability to perceive analogies. (RM)

This investigation examined the effect contextual variables had on a national sample of school board members' information needs for decision making. Importance, conflict, and content were found to be associated with board members' needs for time, information, and consultation. (Author/LMO)