Most district and school leaders understand that recruiting group members who have differing backgrounds, perspectives, talents, and personalities makes for good decision-making. Unfortunately, simply assembling a variety of top-notch individuals does not necessarily mean their talents and perspectives will be fully considered. Beth Strathman…

As middle managers in the educational enterprise, principals are pressured by groups with goals at odds with their own. After attempting to resolve three thorny ethical dilemmas, one female principal realized that conflicts are more often caused by superiors and government agencies than by students, parents, and teachers. The question arises: is…

Preservice teachers must learn to work cooperatively with other adults. In practica, teacher educators can successful negotiate conflicts with team members and build on similarities by listening carefully to students' concerns, modeling respect and appreciation for challenges experienced by school staff, exploring the strengths of students'…

Students attending a Minnesota school in a middle-class neighborhood are finding that cooperation, conflict resolution, and civic values are creating a safe haven from the stresses of family and neighborhood life. Students have two innovative programs (Continuous Progress and Discovery) to choose from. Highlands Elementary nurtures its students…