Compares two custody dispute intervention strategies, evaluation and mediation, and clarifies their philosophy, procedural differences, and limitations. The growing dissatisfaction with existing methods of processing custody disputes is affecting public policy as well as the focus of social research and the practice of the mental health…

Uses family systems theory to conceptualize family dissolution and child custody disputes. Describes a family assessment model involving a therapy team with each member responsible for a family subsystem. The role of each therapist and the functioning of the team is outlined. Criteria for determining custody recommendations are identified. (JAC)

Mediation, in which a neutral third party helps two people come up with their own solutions, is being used to settle faculty and staff grievances. Experiences at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Duke University, Emory University, and the University of Cincinnati are described. (MLW)

Explores conflicts between plaintiff in educational reform litigation and examines decisions, interviews, and case histories of disputes over busing, mainstreaming, and deinstitutionalization. Next, discusses the inadequacies of existing procedural mechanisms for coping with such problems, with a focus on the litigation of courts in dealing with…