Conflict Resolution in Education and Using Third Parties to Negotiate

When two or more parties cannot come to an agreement, it may be necessary to involve a third party. This third party would be responsible for analyzing all data and present supporting literature to determine a resolution to the conflict. Examples of alternative dispute resolutions include: mediation-arbitration, neutral fact-finding, and moderated settlement conference. It is interesting that this type of conflict management be part of the case assignment because I was recently asked to be a third party member in a dispute at my school.

The school I work at is a junior high school in Massachusetts. It is considered an inner-city school, rich in culture and diversity. The school committee recently determined that one of the three existing foreign languages would need to be removed and replaced with a math class. The language to be eliminated would be determined by the principal who could enlist the assistance of any faculty member to aid him. In this situation, the principal asked me to assist him with the decision.

South Jr. High currently has three languages: French, Spanish, and Latin. The Latin classes are reserved for the “talented and gifted” students. The principal did not want to eliminate Latin because having a Latin class as an option attracted better students (academically), which translated into higher testing scores on standardized tests. In Brockton, there are four junior highs and each resident of Brockton can choose which junior high they want to attend regardless of where they live in the city.

Therefore, either Spanish or French would have to be eliminated. Both the teachers that teach French and Spanish were hired in the same year, so seniority would not be a determining factor (also a union issue). However, one teacher would be out of a job at South Junior High. It was not an easy decision.