Peer-mediation in a school environment, when carried out correctly, can benefit not only the parties of the conflict, but also their environment, including the school, the team, the family and the mediator. A serious same has been designed and a prototype developed for the training of minors and young adults as mediators. The core of the game is a…

This paper reports on a mixed methods study of 111 AP calculus students' self-reports of their graphing calculator use, comfort, and rationale when choosing between mathematical solutions produced with and without a graphing calculator. [For the complete proceedings, see ED585874.]

The divorce explosion has placed a substantial burden on the judicial system of the United States. About 10 percent of divorce cases involve child custody battles. The adversarial legal process may be contrary to the children's best interest. Custody mediation has been used as an alternative to court litigation. California law requires an attempt…

Policy making, policy implementation, and accountability are discussed, and a conceptual model is proposed for understanding a number of contemporary problems and for planning future research. The model suggests a tension theory consisting of two dilemmas. One is an apparent conflict between the public's expectation of educational…

This paper briefly introduces alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes and their fundamental principles. The paper provides a review of the literature on ADR and discusses its applicability in educational settings. The concept of conflict is explained, along with analysis of the limitations of traditional conflict resolution processes. The…

In the opinion of decision-making scholars, conflict is a natural component of group decision-making. A new direction for conflict and group decision-making theory and research will help dispel the confusion as to the promotive or disruptive nature of disagreement in group decision-making. Conflict literature is replete with descriptions of the…

Despite a growing body of literature on the school superintendency, little is known about the role, influence, and satisfaction of district superintendents when school boards make compensation decisions for principals. This exploratory study, which reported findings from a sample of 215 Pennsylvania superintendents, attempted to identify and…

The importance in Japan of group identity, the Japanese approach to decision making, and the way in which the Japanese avoid conflict and build consensus when making a decision are characteristics of Japanese interactions that are critical for Americans to understand in order to communicate successfully with the Japanese. Those who would be…

Instructional consultation in postsecondary institutions is explored by examining problem solving behaviors of instructional consultants and their faculty clients. Study goals were to: determine whether instructional consultants or the faculty clients guide the discussion during instructional consultation; describe the issues discussed by…

The effects of individual values upon the development of conflicts and the resolution of marital problems through counseling are explored, using the Interpersonal Growth Scale (IGS). This instrument is described as it evaluates the processes of growing apart and growing together, and notes operating values, determining their functions and…

Mother-child interactions involving power were examined among 240 middle class mother-child dyads in which children were either 8 or 11 years old. Defined as exchanges occurring around decision-making points in which the mother and child had divergent aims, power interactions were classified according to whether they were symmetrical or…

It is the theme of this paper that educators must effect the restructuring and reforms necessary to adapt their school systems to current technological and social conditions. The report states that educators must examine the current structure of the schools with a view toward streamlining and moving the decision-making process closer to where the…

The author (1) explains a system analysis approach developed by the Sports Institute for Research through Change Agent Research (SIR/CAR) for working with government, business, and service organizations in sport-related areas; (2) examines the distinction between professional athletics and amateur sport; (3) discusses conflict resolution by…

The Delphi technique was used as one instrument in an evaluation of the Ruppert Education Center, an alternative high school. One of its contributions stemmed from its conventional use as a way to assess goal priorities of school policy-makers. In addition it helped to (1) focus the evaluation; (2) assess community interest, knowledge and…

This paper discusses some of the central issues involved in philosophizing about rhetoric by raising two primary questions within the context of three traditional branches of philosophy: ontology, axiology, and epistemology. The two questions raised are: What are dialectical tensions in a philosophy of rhetoric? and How does a person try to cope…