Critical incidents in college teaching and administration were studied, based on survey responses from 356 faculty at 31 urban institutions in various regions of the United States. "Critical incidents" either create or damage faculty or administrators' motivation for achieving excellence in their task performance. In addition to…

The issue of faculty vitality and an institutional case study are discussed, along with implications for academic policy. The literature of faculty vitality reveals a situational, contextual dimension that makes defining the concept difficult. It is helpful to view the college as an organization in which faculty members pursue careers as scholars,…

In an effort to explore significant supply and demand variables that affect the teacher labor market in the Southeast, a qualitative research study was undertaken to examine the market patterns of initial career choice, position availability, recruitment and selection, turnover, and mobility of public school teachers. An ethnographic investigation…

An overview is presented of research studies that reflect the realities that exist in elementary and secondary public education. Explorations of school culture cite behavioral and programmatic regularities that make up the school culture and the importance of school principals' roles. Focusing on the teachers and the ways things actually get done…

A qualitative study of women elementary school teachers focused on the teachers' values, attitudes towards teaching, and how they negotiated their work interest with sex role and family expectations. Formal and informal interviews with teachers, administrators, and parents were conducted over a seven month period. Three perspectives provided the…

If a generation gap does exist, the English teacher has failed in his primary task--improving personal communication--and must accept full responsibility for this failure. A profile of the typical North Carolina English teacher reveals a person over 30 years of age who is politically and morally influenced by the values of previous generations;…

This study examines the usefulness of survey instruments in educational policy making in Liberia, a developing country. The chapter, "Liberia, an Overview," summarizes available background information about Liberian education and introduces the complex issues facing educational planners. "Procedures," discusses the general…

This report examines the demand for teachers, teacher turnover, and teacher education in Alaska. Surveys were conducted with school district personnel directors, directors of Alaska teacher education programs, teachers who exited Alaska schools in 2001, and rural and urban instructional aides. Alaska is facing teacher shortages, but these are…

This case study focuses on a team of middle school teachers in a two-way immersion bilingual education program. The report explores the following questions: How does the organizational structure of the middle school under study promote or impede professional networks among the teachers? What type of teaching-learning practices do these forces…

This report presents the results of the 2000-01 Status of the American Public School Teacher survey. This survey has been conducted every 5 years since 1956. In 2000-01, surveys were sent to 2,826 of the nation's approximately 2,953,000 public school teachers, with a 67.4-percent response rate. The resulting data are presented in the areas of: (1)…

This study investigated the effects of school-level and individual-level factors influencing the participation and nonparticipation of secondary school teachers in continuing professional education (CPE). Researchers randomly selected 25 out of Hong Kong's 442 secondary schools to participate. All teachers in the schools were invited to complete a…

Teachers' perceptions of incentives and deterrents for teaching special education, teachers' movements between districts over a 5-year period, and teachers' future professional goals were queried through a survey of 484 Alaska special education teachers conducted by the Alaska Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD). Retention of…

This study investigated teacher attrition and retention in seven Virginia school divisions representing urban, suburban, and rural localities. Focus group interviews of teachers who stay in their school divisions and telephone interviews of teachers who migrated to another school division or who left the teaching profession revealed a hierarchy of…

Twenty-five recent graduates of a Master's Program in Early Childhood Special Education participated in focus group interviews designed to explore their perceptions and experiences regarding their first years of practice in urban schools. Findings revealed that participants faced many challenges including collaboration with colleagues, seeking…

During the past decade there have been considerable efforts to reform the American public school system. This survey, based on 15-minute telephone interviews with a nationally representative sample of 1,011 public school teachers in the United States, duplicates the sampling and interviewing process used in a similar study in 1984 and 1985. In…