Conflict is certain to show up in any school, so how do you as the leader know how to respond or when to intervene? Disagreements, friction, and even outright hostility are a common and unavoidable result of people working together, and not all conflict is necessarily bad; it can also provide an opportunity to learn and grow. Whether the situation…

The chair of the board of trustees leads the board and facilitates board processes. He or she plays an important role in ensuring that the board effectively governs the institution and that trustees work together well. The chair is often perceived as the major spokesperson for the board. She or he is usually the primary point of contact with the…

Unresolved conflicts in schools build barriers to learning, including low motivation, lack of focus, and disruptive behaviors that remove students from the classroom. When teacher-student conflicts occur, the negative effects can be long-lasting without a safe and structured way to repair the relationship. This reader-friendly guidebook has a…

A principal's job is astonishingly complex, and its competing demands can be overwhelming, especially in the first few years. In this book, Jen Schwanke, a principal herself, provides a mentor's guidance to steer new principals through the period of adjustment and set the foundation for a long and rewarding career. The topics you wish your…

Leadership is an activity that not only manifests itself in formal positions, but also bubbles up in various places within an organization. Perhaps given the importance of leadership to any endeavor, the literature on this topic has burgeoned. Yet among these titles, "Learning to Lead" stands out as one of the best texts available on leadership…

Moving from a faculty position to an administrative office frequently entails gaining considerable responsibility, but ambiguous power. The hope of these two authors is that this volume will serve as a reference and a source of support for current associate and assistant deans and as a window into these jobs for faculty who may be considering such…

This book offers 50 easy-to-read strategies for managing conflicts in your school involving students, parents, and teachers. Individually, these strategies provide specific insights into conflict resolution, reduction, and management. As a whole, the 50 strategies provide a comprehensive method to lead constructive change in your school. With…

This manual is designed for those working with conduct boards composed of students and/or faculty. This manual serves two purposes: (1) To provide the Adviser and/or trainer(s) with guidelines, philosophy, and information so as to better structure your conduct board program (or to create one); and (2) To serve as an actual model for a manual for a…

This discussion of potential uses of mediation as a management and communication tool focuses on the library setting. The nature of conflict is considered, and the concept, basic principles, and applications of mediation as a form of conflict resolution are presented. The four steps in the mediation process are then described: (1) Introduction,…

A central mission of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is the promotion of international conflict resolution education by assisting and supporting colleges and universities in their efforts at developing and offering programs, courses, and activities that focus on international peace, conflict, and security. Over the years, a number of…

Conflict between people can arise over breakdowns in communication, work policies and practices, adversarial management, and personality conflict. A conflict-resolution plan involves defining the problem, collecting the facts and opinions, considering all solutions proposed, implementing the solutions, and evaluating the situation. (MLF)

This guide to solving problems and managing dilemmas is practitioner-driven. The concepts, language, examples, and cases are crafted to appeal to teachers and administrators interested in improving how they solve problems and manage dilemmas in classrooms, schools, and districts. Part 1 of the book lays out the author's approach to framing…

Efforts to achieve ethical performance within organizations should include strategic processes, structural considerations, and the behavioral systems of organizations. Outlines some of the mechanisms that may be employed by organizations to achieve higher levels of ethical performance. (27 references) (MLF)

School principals may experience stress due to interpersonal clashes and conflicts, excessively taxing administrative responsibilities, time constraints, and conflicting role expectations. Stress-reduction techniques include conflict resolution of values and needs; identification of stressful circumstances; knowledge of physiological stress…

These guidelines were developed by a national working group seminar hosted by the FIPSE-funded Conflict Management in Higher Education Resource Center. They provide a set of best-practices related to the establishment of conflict-handling services for colleges and universities. Seminar participants were carefully chose to represent faculty,…