Every day, teachers resolve countless conflicts and contradictions. This book deals with the development of informed, problem-solving, decision making skills that will increase the effectiveness of educators. The volume is organized into three sections. The first section explains how schools function as social systems, presents a series of case studies and exercises drawn from the day-to-day experience of teachers, and focuses on key variables in decision making and operational guidelines for decision making. Two different kinds of cases for study are used. The first type, a philosophical approach, requires teachers to acknowledge their personal orientation toward teaching; the second type of scenario, called "technical," requires teachers to select the best of several possible responses to a given situation. The second section deals with sources of conflict in the school and presents ways in which cases can be used and responded to. Cases of conflict between students and teachers, teachers and teachers, administrators and teachers, and parents and teachers are provided. The final section addresses interviewing for a teaching position and consists of cases representing interviewer-teacher conflict. (Contains 27 references.) (LL)