Controversial issues offer Extension faculty opportunities to facilitate community dialogue and apply conflict resolution strategies to help communities achieve higher ground. Handled appropriately, the long-term benefits to the community, the Extension organization, and the faculty member of facilitating public issues outweigh the costs. This…

In this article, the author talks about building resilience--that ability to push through hardship to success, to rebound from failure, and to "keep on keepin' on" when things seem impossible. The author assert that lots of gifted and talented kids need help building their resilience. In today's world, when striving for mediocrity can…

This essay begins with the question, "What can educators do to minimize the risks inherent to interracial dialogue?" Though no such meaningful conversation ever will be without risk, this article offers two specific strategies that have helped foster open classroom climates: adding without contradiction and granting freedom for conclusions. Both…

Discusses five basic questions that colleges and universities should answer before reforming their systems of governance: "Who now decides what? Which facets of governance are sources of dissatisfaction, and for whom? What changes are being proposed, and why? How can their feasibility and desirability be assessed? What are the implications of…

In order to identify how social studies teachers attempt to resolve values conflict situations, 82 "disinterested" teachers in southeast Ohio responded to a questionnaire. The term "disinterested" is used to describe teachers who did not belong to a professional social studies organization, nor attend conferences specifically geared for updating…

This digest addresses the sometimes confrontational nature of decision making in the language arts. Pointing out that administrators are often thrust into the debate even when they do not want to be, the digest offers a set of principles for an educational philosophy that gives both the community and the learners a stake in the content and process…

Negotiation can be used systematically in a communicative language teaching methodology that allows students to participate in decisions about what to learn, in what order, and how to adjust the learning process and materials to their own learning styles and particular problems. The teacher's role becomes that of manager or informant-model. Even…

The process by which the sociology department at the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, has changed character and resolved situations of conflict and polarization is examined. The sociology department experienced rapid growth and the university as a whole shifted from teaching as a single function to teaching and research. It is suggested…

This bibliography lists 223 journal articles, unpublished master's and doctoral dissertations, bulletins, books, and monographs on the behavior, attributes, attitudes, or interaction of school board members. Included are reports of investigations that offer bases for generalizable propositions regarding the local school board's part in district…

A study was undertaken at Harrisburg Area Community College (Pennsylvania), a non-unionized institution, regarding the function and effectiveness of the Faculty Council in policy formation and decision-making. A three-part survey covered the role of the Council in policy-making, the function of standing committees, and possible alternative…