This report identifies the school variables (facilities, materials, equipment, class size, time, and scheduling) and teacher competencies that contribute to achievement in the basic skills. Gleaned from a literature review, the opinions of experts, research data, and identified student outcomes, the materials that accomplish the two goals are…

The school-reform movement has not as yet helped to relieve teachers of their nonteaching duties. One result of shared decision making is that some principals have replaced student-supervisory duties with that of committee work. These duties can take as much time as many of the traditional nonteaching duties. One way to improve teacher morale and…

This pamphlet reviews five recent research studies that focus on various key aspects of school climate, a popular metaphor that is difficult to define, measure, or manipulate. "The Search for School Climate: A Review of the Research," by Carolyn Anderson, surveys the full scope of school climate literature, concluding with a summary of…

The rationale for and obstacles to faculty development are considered, and recommendations for administrators to follow in initiating and implementing programs are offered. Faculty development is needed for at least three important reasons: knowing a subject does not mean an individual can effectively teach it; faculty need to learn how to teach…

Recently, the traditional school structure has been harshly scrutinized for several key defects, including bureaucratic rules and regulations, professional isolation of teaching staff, evaluation systems irrelevant to instructional improvement, low teacher participation in decision making, and noncooperation between teachers and administrators.…

The two articles in this issue of "Network" report on the comments of speakers and participants in the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) 1992 Networkshop. "Systemic Reform: Teachers and the Conditions of Teaching," discusses: the evolution and definition of systemic reform; systemic reform in relation to systems involving federal…

This booklet presents articles that deal with identifying signs of stress and methods of reducing work-related stressors. An introductory article gives a summary of the causes, consequences, and cures of teacher stress and burnout. In articles on recognizing signs of stress, "Type A" and "Type B" personalities are examined, with implications for…

The contracts at four-year colleges with a 10-year history of collective bargaining from 1975 to 1985 were analyzed to determine whether the contracts negotiated in 1975 differed from those negotiated in 1985 in the following areas: appointment, promotion, tenure, termination for cause, retrenchment, class size, number of preparations, schedule of…

"Dialogue" is a review of labor-management cooperation in public education, whose goal is to provide teachers, administrators, school boards, and labor relations practitioners with analyses of critical issues, information about current projects, reviews of relevant literature, and a variety of special features. Each issue is generally devoted to a…

This issue focuses on one-room school houses in Iowa. At one time, almost 14,000 one-room schools dotted Iowa's rural landscape. Articles explore Native American schools of the past and present, segregation of black students, and Amish schools. An article remembering one-room schools describes the early schools from 1830 to 1858, township schools…

The awareness of the effects of stress on school personnel and its effects on student achievement led to the formation of a committee to examine the problem and establish some objectives. A copy of the questionnaire submitted to the personnel of the Worchester, Massachusetts, Public Schools is presented. Job related factors were listed with…

The three articles in this journal issue focus on the real meaning of competency in reading and writing. The first article, "Minimums and Optimums," argues against the establishment of minimum competency tests and for an increase in instructional time. "Placement Testing: The Objective Irrelevant," the second article, maintains that the…

This issue is the last in a three-part series on teaching quality. The first examined the effectiveness of various approaches to recruiting, educating, and inducting teachers. This report discusses the school environment and role of teachers' working conditions in attracting and retaining good teachers, noting several disparate factors that…

This publication presents several articles on teacher development and improvement: "Teacher Development: A Strategy for School Improvement" (barriers to and features of effective teacher development); "Help Wanted: Recruiting and Keeping Quality Teachers" (teacher incentives, beginning teacher induction, teaching conditions,…