Student Unrest in the High Schools: A Position Paper.

Derived from the deliberations of the 1969 Superintendents Work Conference, this position paper provides an analysis of the current panorama of social unrest in schools and the community in general. It began with the assessment that student unrest, to be effectively dealt with, must be viewed as emerging from and reflecting the structural, cultural, economic and other characteristics of our society. Schools exacerbate the situation by their repressive rules, their conformity-oriented structure, and their imperviousness to change. Specific approaches are suggested to initiate changes in the relations of schools to students, staff, and the community at large. The focus for change is on three main areas: (1) ideology; (2) organization; and (3) curriculum. The paper concludes with a strategy for change which rests on two basic assumptions: (1) the rights of students must be upheld; and (2) the principles of "due process" and "rule of law" must prevail in schools and society. At bottom, the problem of student unrest was seen as a problem in the management of conflict and change. (TL)