Considers how particular approaches to leading and managing laboratory technicians in some (British) secondary-school science departments enhanced collegiality. In some schools, lab paraprofessionals are involved in decision-making. Trust, delegation based on ability, cooperative values, inclusive leadership styles, and a sense of belonging were…

Examines academic middle managers' monitoring role in British secondary schools since implementation of the 1988 Education Reform Act, drawing on a large-scale postal survey of middle managers in three local authorities and three case-study schools. Participants acknowledge the need for monitoring colleagues' teaching, but experience departmental…

In 1988, as part of the Education Reform Act, the United Kingdom government allowed schools to opt out of local education authorities (LEA) and become grant-maintained (GM) schools, funded directly by the government. It was contended that the program would diversify education, free schools from local bureaucracies, and, consequently, make schools…

This article considers some of the major trends and factors influencing the role of Local Education Authority (LEA) advisers. Included are: studies of advisers' role perceptions, discussion of the dichotomy between their two major roles (inspector and teacher adviser), and issues in the size and structure of advisory teams. (SJL)

Reports a study of new teachers employed in English primary schools. Case studies of inductees and interviews with all people involved in the management of the teachers' probation and induction indicated the linked importance of appropriate placement, affective human relationships, and inductees' attitudes in achieving success in the induction…

Teachers on a high school field trip used quick thinking when rescuing two students trapped in a small bay by a rising tide and a rocky coastline. Emphasizes that teachers should never assume that students will follow rules and must check frequently when supervising student groups. (LP)

Findings are reported from a longitudinal study of first year doctoral students at Reading University. The study examined three major issues: the planning and carrying out of various stages of work during the first year; the learning environment, particularly opportunities for development of collegiality; and supervision. (IAH)

Three patterns of induction for probationary teachers are described and some of their effects compared. Two experimental groups had some release-time from teaching duties, with only one group subject to supervision during the release-time; a control group had no release time. Generally, giving practitioners 20 per cent release time is supported.…

A study examined the teacher preparation programs in England and attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of existing supervision arrangements as perceived by student teachers, cooperating teachers, and college supervisors. Results identify the need for schools and teacher training institutions to work as partners in supervision. (JN)

While research on school-based review is in progress, and while--thus far--it has proved difficult to show a causal link between school self-evaluation and educational improvement (especially when pupil performance is the main criterion of success), some schools have been quick to implement decisions regarding the curriculum that have arisen from…

A report on adventure or "junk" playgrounds--areas that provide opportunities for children to build, dig, and play with materials under their own direction--begins with brief sections on the establishment of the original playground in Copenhagen, and the first American experiment, in Minneapolis, in 1950. The main body of the report is…

Headteachers in the United Kingdom face the challenge of acting as both the main strategic planner for the whole school and as the leading professional practitioner within it. This paper describes how general changes in the occupational characteristics of school headteachers have been contingently interpreted in a large urban primary school in…

The challenges facing urban elementary and secondary schools are like those facing suburban and rural schools, but there are complex circumstances that complicate efforts by urban school systems to carry out their mission. Schools in the cities have more students from impoverished homes, more foreign-born or minority group students, and more…

Discovers that female high school teachers, regardless of seniority levels, experience higher levels of stress during school inspection than male teachers. Both male and female teachers felt more nervous when dealing with inspectors of a different gender. Includes statistical tables and possible explanations. (MJP)

Interviews with doctoral students and supervisors in physics, mathematics, and engineering attending nine English universities investigated student expectations of doctoral supervision, extent to which expectations were met, and the ways in which supervision changes as the doctoral process progresses. Issues in training of PhD supervisors, their…