Ten guidelines that may improve staff attendance are: create a written sick leave policy, do not make exceptions, be a good role model, require staff to get their own substitutes, have staff call in personally, monitor patterns in absences, supervise through observation, listen and show concern, greet each person when he or she returns, and reward…

On college campuses nationwide, faculty, alumni, parents, students, and others argue that parking is too expensive, inadequate, inconvenient, or allocated unfairly. Policies may be strict, and abuse of regulations is common. (MSE)

A number of institutions have developed policies designed to foster family-friendly work environments, but bias against caregiving may lead gatekeepers to discourage faculty members from using them. The message sent to faculty and prospective faculty by this scenario is that it is too difficult to be a productive academic and an involved, caring…

The Technology Immersion Pilot (TIP), created by the Texas Legislature in 2003, called for the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to establish a pilot project to "immerse" schools in technology by providing a wireless mobile computing device for each teacher and student, technology-based learning resources, training for teachers to integrate…

Background: Despite the evidence that many girls and some boys are regularly subjected to inequalities within school physical education (PE) in Norway today, and international research showing how physical education teacher education (PETE) courses often construct unequal learning opportunities for their students on the basis of gender, few…

A questionnaire to find out to what degree graduate schools of social work and their designated leaders support the legal regulation of social work practice was mailed to all directors/deans of accredited schools of social work offering a master's degree program in the United States. The return rate was 81%. Findings show that relatively few…

Brinkmanship behaviors challenge the authority of a social system while trying to avoid, usually through the use of humor, the sanctions that would normally be provoked. This study investigated the validity and use of short scenarios portraying various teachers challenging policy in different ways as a strategy for measuring perceptions of these…

A survey of student writing in every subject and grade in a Canadian secondary school involved 117 students over a nine-day period and investigated the amount of writing done in all subjects and the variety of purpose and audience in student writing. Results showed that each student produced an average of two written pieces per day, that one out…

A survey of 339 teachers (grades K-12) found lack of motivation and poor parental support to be the biggest discipline problems. Nearly 90 percent worked with a stated/written discipline policy. Approximately 75 percent believed that corporal punishment should continue. Verbal reprimands were the most common behavior change method used. (VW)

The actions of Clark College in terminating, for reasons of financial exigency, two faculty members previously granted indefinite tenure are reviewed according to the AAUP statement of principles and recommended institutional regulations on academic freedom and tenure, and procedural standards, and found to be in violation. (MSE)

Is it of any value to the school to help faculty members preserve the integrity of their family life? What can a school do to soften the special problems of faculty members who have families? Suggests answers to both problems. (Author/RK)

National data from the 1976 Safe School Study identified the most important determinants of secondary school student suspension to be: (1) students' attitudes and behavior; (2) teacher attitudes; (3) administrative policy on discipline; (4) quality of school governance; and (5) academic and racial bias in schools. (MJL)

Since most children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) were not previously in special education, their entitlement to special services, their parents' role in securing those services, and the school district's perception of them as disabled will be new. Both parents and regular school personnel may be resistant to special educational services. (DB)

Examines the effect of school gender organization on gender differences in teachers' perceptions of organizational control. Results from 629 mathematics and English teachers reveal that in coeducational schools and boys' schools, male teachers perceived greater influence over school policies outside of the classroom than did female teachers.…

Addresses the problems of racism in schools and reviews the historical and contemporary context of the policies and programs to reduce it. Discusses obstacles and challenges to implementing effective antiracist policies and programs. Presents strategies that address these challenges from a systems and an ecological approach. (MKA)