This paper examines conflict resolution strategies for school administrators tasked with mediating disputes between regular education teachers and special education staff. Drawing on scholarship about neutral facilitation, mediation best practices, and collaborative teaming, the paper outlines a structured approach that begins with establishing ground rules, moves through information gathering and open dialogue, and concludes with negotiated action plans. The paper also highlights research on common planning time and team structure as environmental factors that contribute to or undermine successful collaboration. Ultimately, it argues that effective mediation requires a multifaceted set of skills far beyond simple impartiality.
The conflict between regular education teachers and special education staff will not resolve itself without some form of intervention. With ample evidence of frustration on both sides, the situation is likely to worsen if left unattended. Therefore, the school administrator should take on the role of a neutral to mediate the dispute and should also ensure that appropriate teaming environments and structures are in place to encourage collaboration.
As its name implies, the role of a neutral in providing third-party assistance is not to take sides or to judge who is right and who is wrong (Liddle). Jones (1998) explains that a resolution will not be accepted by one or both parties if the neutral is not perceived as a person free of recognizable bias toward the personalities and issues involved in the dispute. This is certainly the most obvious and most important responsibility of the neutral. However, the job of the neutral is far more complex than many realize.
Before the mediation process between the regular education teachers and the special education staff even begins, the school administrator and the parties must establish ground rules (The Role of the Mediator). These ground rules make clear the purpose of mediation, explain how the process works, and identify the expected behaviors of all parties. Setting ground rules is particularly important because it establishes the tone for the entire mediation process and encourages enthusiastic participation.
According to Jones (1998), the most difficult job of the neutral is to fully understand the causes of the conflict by gathering and analyzing information. This is because conflicts arise from various sources that must be resolved in unique ways. In the case at hand, a number of factors may be contributing to the conflict, including communication breakdowns, inadequate training, newly adopted policies, power imbalances, and limitations on planning time and classroom resources. Close attention to what is said — and what is not said — holds the key to appropriately framing the real issues.
Of particular concern in this case is the lack of shared planning time and communication, and whether there may be structural causes underlying the conflict. The school administrator should therefore take note of teaming best practices for potential application. For instance, Flowers, Mertens, and Mulhall (2000) compared 155 Michigan middle schools that were teaming with either high levels of common planning time (defined as four meetings per week of at least 30 minutes per session), low levels of common planning time, or no teaming at all. Their research showed that planning time, team size, and the length of time a school had been teaming all contributed to the success or failure of the teams.
Schools with higher levels of planning time, smaller teams, and longer periods of team cohesion were the most successful, enjoying benefits such as a more positive school climate, higher teacher job satisfaction, and higher student achievement scores than schools that did not team well. Flowers, Mertens, and Mulhall attributed small teams and adequate individual and team planning time to stronger teaming practices such as curriculum coordination and collaborative student assignments.
"Dialogue and negotiation lead to agreed solutions"
The role of the neutral is far more involved than simply serving as an unbiased participant in resolving disputes. The job requires a multifaceted set of functions that include explaining the mediation process, facilitating open communication, analyzing and understanding the causes of conflict, conducting negotiations, and developing realistic action plans. Beyond mediation itself, the school administration should also pay close attention to structural and environmental barriers to effective teaming and take steps to address them proactively.
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