The purpose of this general inductive study was to understand how senior student affairs officers (SSAOs) have managed the response to bias on college campuses. The literature is clear about the negative effects of bias on targeted populations; however, there is a large gap in the literature when it comes to how bias incidents are managed. The…

The poliheuristic (PH) theory of decision making has made important contributions to our understanding of political decision making but remains silent about certain key aspects of the decision process. Specifically, PH theory contends that leaders screen out politically unacceptable options, but it provides no guidance on (1) the crucial threshold…

Examines what can and should be done to clarify and/or resolve scientific conflicts with policy implications. Includes a typology for classifying controversies, mechanisms, and objectives with regard to scientific disputes with policy implications. This apparatus aims to show the differences in disputes and in approaches to deal with them. (JN)

Discusses conceptual models of thought that have recently emerged to confront the conventional approaches to analysis and solution to complex environmental problems. In addition to a critical attack on the tradition of specialization and reductionism, several models are summarized that originated from ecology, cybernetics, and system theory. (BC)

This paper is based on the assumption that the educational administrator is the mediator in policy development. The author sees the administrator as caught between two conflicting approaches to policy-making--one characterized as "rational" and the other as "political." In attempting to deal with this dilemma and with the dilemma of shrinking…

The politics of education is a new field of research specialization both in education and in political science. As with any new field, the politics of education faces a number of problems. On the other hand, it shows promise of being able to make important contributions both in increasing our understanding of educational and political systems and…

This paper reports a series of events that occurred at Anderson College (South Carolina) as a result of conflict between a college academic policy which allowed students to withdraw from a course without penalty up until the 12th week of a 16 week semester, and a regulation of the state approval agency for veterans education which required that…

The purpose of this study is to describe the structures of and decision-making processes within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) and government agencies concerned with education at all geopolitical levels, and to describe the dynamics of the interrelationships between the CPSU and the government. The study is based on data collected…

This paper holds that the outcomes of formal procedures between low-status groups and those in authority over them are largely symbolic or marginal in character. Language and gestures are said to define the involvement of these groups with authorities either as joint participation in policy making or as conflict. Whether a political action is…

Professional literature about managing conflicts associated with declining enrollments indicates the existing tension in this area. A research study shows that, while upper-middle class districts may succeed using a rational approach to decision making, lower class districts, for various reasons, may not. Special problems of urban districts are…

"Policy" has emerged as an organizing vehicle for encouraging innovation and guiding administrative decisions in academe. Barriers to innovation are identified as: general, faculty, administrative, and personal resistance. The development of leadership familiar with the nature and function of policy as an organizing concept is essential. (MLW)

Findings from a historical case study that analyzed a school board decision making process during a crisis situation are presented in this paper. Criminal allegations made against the superintendent of a midwestern school system in 1984 created a crisis for the board of education. The superintendent of schools was charged with third degree sexual…

This simulation can be used to help secondary students examine the national and global energy issue. Students role-play various groups, including the Departments of Energy and Transportation, the U.S. Automobile Manufacturer's Association, oil lobby groups, conservation groups, citizen groups, a solar lobbying organization, and a nuclear power…

With use of information technology in colleges, dilemmas concerning ethics and values arise, and policies are needed to guide administrative decision making. The University of Michigan has developed a "proper use" policy to encourage values definition and clarification and a "think about it" implementation campaign to extend…