The National Institute of Education (NIE) had commissioned an evaluation project of certain postsecondary programs for nontraditional students that would involve decision makers in the core of the design activity. This report discusses the conflict that emerged between NIE and the Center for Research and Development in Higher Education (CRDHE) and…

The management strategy of calling attention to problems and labeling them as crises is discussed as a method of coping with prolonged periods of shrinking resources. Part I, "Entering the Realm of Crisis," discusses the importance of defining a crisis, the crisis as an organizational good, and when to declare a crisis. Two types of…

This case study investigated the capability of school citizen advisory committees to collect, contain, and dissipate conflict. It examined the activities of the Ideal School citizen advisory committee in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1976-77. The committee attempted to block a decision by the school board to move the school to a new location…

Burnout is a condition that exacts a heavy toll on organizational effectiveness. Conditions that contribute to burnout in human service organizations are lack of funds, lack of flexibility, lack of decision-making power of middle managers, task overload, little recognition for efforts, and nature of client population. Strategies to prevent burnout…

This extensive survey pretest utilized in-depth interviews with school superintendents and city managers in selected cities throughout Oregon and in Los Angeles. The purpose of the pilot study was to explore the similarities and differences in conflict management between the two professions. The study reveals that superintendents and city managers…

Identified are several sources of conflict between institutional researchers and decisionmakers and suggested are several means for reducing these sources of tension. Conditions that can lead to conflict include: differing organizational roles, value conflicts, status discrepancy and ambiguity, and communications breakdowns. Factors identified for…

Increased pressures continue on faculty in higher education as expressed by faculty workload and faculty activity analysis. Often those who collect and utilize such data do not consider the outcomes of decisions from the faculty viewpoint. Examined are how the uses of certain faculty load data and faculty activity analysis data place pressures and…

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…

In this simulation, which involves the location of a low-income housing project, secondary students simulate eight roles--citizens representing the interests of seven different neighborhoods and a federal arbiter. Skills developed by the simulation include analysis, decision making, and oral and written communication. (RM)

This book's author is the creator of an award-winning web site for teens and young adults. The Web site, Talk City's InSite, invites young people to share their questions and concerns about relationships. This book brings information from the web site onto the printed page. Based on hundreds of e-mails receive by the author, it discusses issues…

Compared the interaction of normal families and families with a drug-abusing member in order to describe the differences in their communication patterns. Concluded that addict families generally display more rigid communication patterns than do normal families. (PD)

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…

This paper discusses peace education curriculum in the Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Public School district. The peace education promotion has been in existence for 10 years and was created in response to rising levels of violence. Specifically examined are the uses of peace education at Fritsche Middle School, a school that has proven the positive…

The Kids in Dispute Settlement mediation program for grades 3 through 12 recognizes that conflicts are a part of everyone's life and that students can responsibly and constructively solve their own conflicts. Mediation uses the help of a third party to facilitate the conflict resolution process by working out differences non-judgementally. Student…

Clinicians who work with at-risk older adults are often faced with the difficult decision to override their client's civil rights and force institutionalization. Many times the professional is pressured by police or a housing manager to "just do something" with the judgmentally impaired older client. Clinicians faced with these decisions may…