The word "religion" sends shudders down the spine of superintendents, as conflict over religious values can be one of the most unpredictable and emotional issues arising today in public schools. Dealing with religious belief in public schools need not be full of emotion and conflict. In this article, the author shares his strategies for…

The author shares her experience in working with a small group of teachers and the director of an alternative high school program who were experiencing significant conflict during team meetings. Every member, including the director, agreed that the group suffered from serious breakdowns in communication. As the facilitator of the group, the author…

School leaders are reporting an uptick in anger in their communities these days--often diffuse, unfocused anger--among staff members, parents and neighbors. In the face of threat, the first impulse of education leaders is to toughen up, tighten down and begin broadcasting their messages. Since anxiety and rage come with uncertain times, the…

Organized opposition from A to Z symbolizes both the breadth and the core values of organized opposition groups that have emerged across the nation in recent years. Technological advances have expanded the reach and impact of oppositional messages. Anti-public school websites, group e-mail, the mushrooming blogosphere and web-based marketing…

The author has lived in two worlds for many years. As a former band director and musician, he was constantly immersed in the world of creativity. Even today, after 36 years in educational administration, he spends his weekends judging band contests that require long hours at very low pay. He does so because he enjoys the creativity and enthusiasm…

Recent research has studied superintendents who survive in high-risk periods, those years in a school district when the odds of superintendent involuntary turnover are the highest. In this article several long-term superintendents are interviewed and their survival and conflict management skills shared. (WD)

Describes how three Wisconsin school superintendents used the process of situation appraisal and decision analysis to improve their problem-solving and decision-making capabilities and those of their leadership teams. Provides several examples. (PKP)

Conflict, a common managerial problem, offers opportunities for creative and positive actions. "Win-win" conflict resolution, which occurs chiefly through compromise, contribution, and synthesis tactics, requires trust, commitment, communication, and dialog. It can be encouraged by generating positive feelings, redirecting negative…

The author shares that he came across "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey in the early 1990s when he was a central-office administrator in a small school district just outside of Boston. He considers the book foundational as he thinks about leadership. (He is now superintendent in a central Massachusetts…

Committed to outcome-based education, the superintendent and board of a central California school district proceeded to stabilize the environment, develop a research-based belief system, align an outcome-focused curriculum, and implement a staff development program. To stem opposition to OBE, mastery learning, and criterion-referenced assessment,…

An Indiana superintendent outlines 12 cardinal rules for handling school board conflict. Superintendents should proceed cautiously, have a third party lead the charge or draw the fire, allow board members to fight their own battles, create a mirror with the facts, plan strategically, develop relationships with each board member, correct…

Rather than avoid stress, superintendents need to control and use it to their advantage. They should become familiar with the stress cycle, which progresses from stress traps through perceived stress, coping responses, and consequences (burnout). Superintendents can avoid burnout by focusing on important matters, confronting conflict positively,…

In April 2005, the board of education in the Muhlenberg School District was forced to break one of their school policies after several parents complained about a book that has been included in the school's curriculum. The book, "The Buffalo Tree," by Adam Rapp has a passage detailing how an adolescent boy becomes sexually aroused in a communal…

This article talks about leading significant learning opportunities through conflict of ideas in a school system. Catalyzing school change can turn emotional differences of opinion into learning opportunities. Leaders who want to deal effectively with these challenging, often tense situations need to be more than good managers. They need to be…

After 13 years of rebelling against alleged public school transgressions of parental rights, Citizens for Excellence in Education is promoting reconciliation with public school educators. Actions include focusing rhetoric on solutions, not problems; developing biblical support papers to guide Christian conduct; and promoting improvement-oriented…