The research data reported here are based on a comparative study of two public school districts. The observations revealed differences in the extent and circumstances of negotiative activity and structural, organizational, and interpersonal limits on negoti-ations between and within those school systems. For example, we found that much of school life was routine and nonnegotiated, while the area of special education was replete with negotiation. Using those kinds of differences and observed constraints in conjunction with the earlier work on hospitals (Strauss et al., 1964) helps us project some propositions about the social con-ditions that facilitate or hinder negotiation. The article is organized in the following manner:(1) a brief description of the research sites,(2) an account of the differences between the districts that affect the extent of negotiation,(3) the limits on negotia-tions in school systems,(4) the social conditions of negotia-tion, and (5) a conclusion. The abiding question throughout is not whether everyone participates m negotiation equally and with equitable results, or whether hospitals, public schools, or busi-nesses are or are not negotiated orders, but when, how, and why participants engage in negotiative activity.