Addresses the problem of bureaucratic control over what is taught and how in the classroom. Suggests that only by allowing classroom teachers to be part of curriculum decisions will public schools promote the growth of academic freedom and creative thinking. Argues that quality teaching is more important than political safety or obedient teachers.…

A common but largely unacknowledged problem in public education in the US is the practice of hazing beginning teachers that leads to low retention rates. Factors that contribute to new teachers leaving high schools and often the teaching profession are presented and how these can and should be mitigated is discussed.

Although there is some important scholarly work on the problem of workplace mistreatment/abuse, theoretical or empirical work on abusive school principals is nonexistent. Symbolic interactionism was the theoretical structure for the present study. This perspective on social research is founded on three primary assumptions: (1) individuals act…

This annotated bibliography cites 913 materials (publications, journal articles, papers, presentations, books, studies, and other documents) concerning potential hazards to the physical health and safety of teachers and students in the school environment. These materials are of particular interest to members of school health and safety committees.…

A California school district, expecting 600 new students and only filling less than half of their 70 open teaching positions from usual hiring sources, took their teacher recruitment program on the road and around the country. Top flight teachers were hired at precisely the grade levels and subject areas needed. (MLF)

"Transformational Professional Learning" is a periodically published e-newsletter designed to influence what educational leaders think, say, and do to improve teaching and learning by promoting deep understanding of important issues, the transformation of beliefs and assumptions, and a stream of powerful goal-focused actions. There are two…

Offers advice on dealing with individual workers at childcare centers who whine, complain, and spread unsettling rumors. Suggests that coworkers resist the temptation to argue or immediately propose solutions to problems; accept the negative person as is; ask for "specific" objections to the ideas of others; and try to empower the…

Describes conditions typically facing teachers in the United States's 835 one-teacher schools, reviews drawbacks and advantages of educating children in one-room schools, discusses the dependency of such schools on community support, and assesses briefly the impact on such schools of recent trends in demographics and technology. (PGD)

This book presents the argument that teachers need more time for students, more time for planning, and more time for teaching. It claims that the United States should adopt and pay for the model used for public schools elsewhere in the world by having smaller classes, fewer classes per day for each teacher, and more work time for teachers to plan…

This study of 82 general educators with certification in special education found that over half would consider special education positions. Primary deterrents to special education teaching included paperwork and factors related to working with special populations; potential incentives included adequate teaching resources, minimal nonteaching…

Collegiality was cited in the post-McCrone Agreement as a vital quality for a professional teaching force in Scotland in the twenty-first century. The Agreement directed schools to henceforth operate more collegially and it was anticipated that this recommendation, alongside the new two-tier promotion system, would facilitate the transformation of…

Utah's involvement with career ladders grew out of the nationwide educational reform movement. The plan was to improve learning by improving the quality of teachers. This could be done by retaining superior teachers, attracting higher quality recruits, and improving teachers' working conditions. In 1984 the Utah Legislature focused on…

This report presents suggestions for retaining beginning teachers. Research indicates that after 5 years, nearly half of new teachers leave teaching in the state where they first taught. Helping new teachers become veterans is an important step in addressing teacher shortages. New teachers tend to leave because of such factors as inadequate…

To explore several categories of variables strongly associated with professional satisfaction and dissatisfaction in American middle schools, responses of 540 out of 900 targeted middle school teachers to two open-ended questions were analysed. (The two survey items were drawn from the Status of the U.S. American Middle School Teacher…

Research about the American experience with school reform has underscored time as the major obstacle to change. This book presents a psychosocial perspective of time and the problems it presents for teachers and administrators in an era of time scarcity. Specifically, it explores the effects of five major concepts (time investment portfolios,…