The major objective of this study was to examine and describe how a large urban school system (the School District of Philadelphia) responds to crisis generated by student unrest. The purpose was to test the notion that crisis, under certain management conditions, may result in positive change or development. The procedure consisted of two parts. The first considered the extent to which student unrest-related crises occurred in the Public Schools of Philadelphia and their effect upon the system. The second part examined in greater detail the inputs to the system, the process by which they were used, and the outputs which resulted from a single recent major system crisis linked to student unrest. A version of Good and Scates' phases of a case study was used as a model to organize part two into four sections--(1) the status of the situation; (2) the collection of data; (3) an overview of the process; and, (4) an examination of the outputs. Three general results are reported: (1) the crisis was promptly identified as such, and dealt with accordingly; (2) the immediate crisis was resolved, and steps were taken to develop and implement strategies for avoiding similar occurrences; and (3) the process employed by the Superintendent of Schools in dealing with the crisis situation indicates a systems approach, a development orientation, and an understanding of crisis management. (Author/JM)