In reviewing a study of elementary urban school teachers, the author points out how the bureaucracy of education stifles teachers' ability to develop an internalized locus of control and leads to disenchantment and alienation. Giving teachers authority to act in their areas of expertise while decentralizing the educational power structure will…

Discusses how teachers can deal effectively with children with challenging behaviors in the Head Start context. Suggests that the continuously changing profile of today's family demands a therapeutic model to adequately address the intense needs that many children have because of increasing poverty and violence. Highlights the need for appropriate…

This book advances the premise that teachers, in addition to students, must be viewed as customers of the school. Teachers' jobs and work environments must therefore be redesigned for maximum professional growth and development. Unless teachers are supported in developing a quality work environment, efforts to improve schools will be marginally…

This collection of articles gathers reprinted materials on teacher attraction and retention for small and rural school districts. The material is organized in two sections: (1) Attracting and Retaining Quality Teachers and (2) Challenging and Enriching Current Staff. Reprints from a number of publications present strategies for addressing the…

Project QUEST (Quarters for Utilizing Educational Services for Teachers) was developed in 1976 for the Frederick Douglass High School in Baltimore, Maryland. Its purposes were to strengthen staff abilities, enrich the school program, and improve the working and learning climates of the school, which were suffering from low staff morale. QUEST was…

Instructors who teach outdoors in an environment so cold as to cause injury must satisfy program objectives while avoiding cold injury to themselves and students, help students focus on learning instead of discomfort, and alleviate some students' intense fear of the cold. Dealing with the cold successfully requires a thorough knowledge of:…

To accurately assess the circumstances and needs of its faculty members, an institution must keep track of the factors that affect their professional performance. A modest investment of staff time and energy in gathering this information can pay generous dividends in the form of enhanced faculty morale, growth, and productivity. (Author/MSE)

The article identifies morale deflaters and inflaters existing in the public school environment, describing the processes used to improve student and staff morale. Several instruments are available to help pinpoint the causes of low morale. The article explains how to use such instruments to change student and staff perceptions. (SM)

Because few people ever view teaching from the front of a classroom, many fail to understand or appreciate this profession. This report is part of the Tucson (Arizona) Education Association's three-year effort to describe teaching in the words and survey responses of teachers themselves, drawing appropriate parallels and contrasts with other…

For a variety of reasons, including overemphasis on professional autonomy, many classroom teachers experience disillusionment and feelings of isolation. This paper explores teaching clinics as a way to break down barriers and foster dialogue among teachers. The Schenley High School Teacher Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, developed a teaching…

Examines three reasons teachers leave their profession and approaches for helping them to love their work. Suggests that when teachers feel challenged, in control of their lives, and have a sense of belonging, their needs have been met. Then they can become the adult attachment figure that children must have in order to have their own needs…

This information brief explains the State of Minnesota statutory provisions that affect the employment rights of K-12 public school teachers in Minnesota. It describes the required probationary period, the conditions of continuing employment for those teachers who successfully complete the probationary period, and the procedures that must be…

In an example of treating teacher stress through a workshop, research on teacher stress factors is presented, and methods of dealing with stress symptoms are discussed. In the first session, stress is defined, and job-related stress factors for elementary and secondary school teachers are listed. Self-imposed and situational stress are described,…

Discusses common characteristics of overseas appointments in developing countries by outlining the typical chronology of a tour abroad. Provides general rules to guide various aspects of living and working in a host culture. Notes quality of the overseas teaching experience, including student characteristics and relationships with colleagues. (MM)

This book offers a research-based, practical approach to recognizing, managing, and preventing teacher burnout. It provides a description of the origins and symptoms of burnout and a personality profile of teachers who are most susceptible to burnout. Organizational issues and administrative roles that contribute to burnout are identified, along…