This article outlines the Idea Factory exercise, an interactive exercise designed to help participants examine group, individual, and organizational factors that affect intergroup conflict. Specific emphasis is placed on exploring the relationship between intra- and intergroup dynamics and identifying managerial practices that foster effective…

The political context of curriculum and program development was acknowledged at least as early as 1949 by R.W. Taylor, who, in his seminal work on curriculum, briefly acknowledged the political nature of curriculum design. Contemporary scholars have been much more direct in acknowledging power differentials and politics in the planning process.…

Do you remember a time when you used the right words at the right moment, and they made all the difference? With the aim of helping you repeat that experience every day, this book provides hundreds of examples of what we call "Best Practice Language" (BPL), a research-based technique designed to help teachers use words to improve student…

Deciding what to do after high school is a daunting task for any young person, but for students on the autism spectrum, the thought can be paralyzing. Additional questions need to be asked and answered to insure a goodness of fit between the student's strengths, goals, and weaknesses and a post secondary educational program's strengths, goals, and…

University administrators can take a cue from pilots. Pilots regularly face decision situations where much lies in the balance. So it is with university administrators. The department, college or university itself can be compared to an aircraft. In flight, there are times when the sun shines and winds are favorable: a comfortable flight results…

Because few public school administrators and teachers have an evangelical fundamentalist religious background, they may have difficulties understanding evangelical parents and their Bible-centered lifestyle. This article recommends steps that administrators can take to improve this stituation and reduce conflict and confrontation. Includes five…

Various schools of thought on conflict management in academic institutions are explored in the article. A significant change from the traditional administrative attitude toward conflict is to view conflict as a means to healthy change and growth. Specific conflict-management techniques are discussed. (DF)

In the 1990s, conflict management is a basic concern of university administrators. Memories of bloody campus confrontations in the 1970s persist, and institutions are reviewing policies on dissent and seeking more appropriate responses to student concerns about racism, tuition increases, gay rights, abortion, and the environment. (MSE)

Women frequently encounter stereotypes concerning their conflict management skills when seeking administrative positions. So far, the literature has focused on conflict management models involving male subjects and male researchers. As women's representation in educational administration increases, traditional viewpoints and theories concerning…

The American Association of University Administrators (AAUA), an organization for administrators that offers a mediation service for resolving disputes concerning professional standards, is described. Causes of disputes, mediation procedures, users of AAUA's mediation service, selection of mediators, costs, reactions to the process, and mediation…

Faculty and administrators rarely assume their positions knowing how to manage conflict. Yet managers spend between 20 to 50 percent of their workday engaged in conflicts. Conflict is an overlooked area in the professional development of faculty and administrators. Senior level administrators such as deans and department heads and faculty…

This paper addresses the role of the school psychologist and how this role can be broadened to encompass areas other than just test administration, and takes a look at what additional knowledge is needed in order to fill more consultative and administrative roles. Through better training programs, the school psychologist is beginning to perform…

This article explores how districts negotiate the conflict that emerges as they attempt to de-legitimize inequity by prompting institutional and organizational-level changes that create equitable access and outcomes for all children. To this end, this article highlights the contentious nature of this pursuit as well as the intended and unintended…

Destructive conflict can inflict heavy costs on a college or university. Student personnel administrators, by using their knowledge of social scientific research, can serve as milieu managers, thereby reducing destructive conflict. Specific policies grounded in empirical research are provided. (Author)

Suggests ways directors can create a climate to reduce and resolve conflict, including assessing the work environment, improving communication, understanding different personalities involved, and understanding the negotiation process. Applies the process to particular scenarios of early childhood staff conflict. Asserts that how directors deal…