Why do teachers become poor performers? In semi-structured interviews, forty elementary school principals in Israel described the personal story of one poor-performing staff member. Half of the problematic teachers were veteran teachers who faced a marked internal and external shift in mid-career. The seeds of their problems were probably planted…

Explores how principals maintain control when faced with demands for both teacher autonomy and increased environmental involvement. Interviews with 22 Israeli teachers and principals revealed four administrative control mechanisms: direct control and indirect control (via elementary teachers' teamwork), and manipulation of secondary teachers'…