This was a study conducted with four first-year educational leaders who were interviewed to determine whether they experienced feelings of isolation and disengagement from individuals who had been peers in the work-place. Each respondent was promoted from within their educational organization to a leadership position and was interviewed to…

Despite recruitment efforts, teachers of Color are underrepresented and leaving the teaching force at faster rates than their White counterparts. Using Critical Race Theory to analyze and present representative qualitative narratives from 218 racial justice-oriented, urban teachers of color, this article affirms that urban schools--despite serving…

Previous research related to occupational socialization theory has indicated that, in certain school contexts, physical education (PE) and physical education teachers are socially constructed as being less important than, or marginal to, the primary purpose of schooling. This research highlights the challenges associated with occupying a position…

Principals are vitally important. But ever-rising accountability standards, limited authority over key decisions, and mediocre pay make the job more and more demanding and less and less attractive to talented leaders. At a time when schools need high-quality leaders more than ever, the grueling nature of the job makes it a tough sell, and…

Educational diagnosticians in the state of Texas serve multiple roles across various districts (National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education [NCPSE], 2011). Due to the increased accountability requirements in the area of special education, much more time is required to complete the procedural requirements set forth by state and…

There has been little research into the work environments of teachers at the subject department level. Understanding and investigating the work environment at this level could provide insight into the type of work environment that might lead teachers to remain in the teaching profession. This article reports the development, validation and use of…

Recent attempts to marginalize the social work profession have had an impact on school social workers in New Mexico. To better understand the quality of the workplace for these related services professionals, a past lead social worker for a large school district was interviewed, and three open-ended items were added to the 2010 statewide school…

The history of Columbus, Georgia, cannot be separated from that of the local textile mills; the mills were important in defining the economic success, the social struggles, and the enduring legacy of southern industrial tycoons. Evidence of this industrial past can be seen on almost every street, school, and business located in the city along the…

This study distinguishes whether substitute teachers enact coping strategies that mitigate the source of work-related stress (problem-centered) or coping strategies that enable them to adapt to stress created by work-related stressors (avoidance-centered). The author gathered data for this analysis by conducting 37 in-depth interviews with…

The purpose of this study was to explore the kinds of episodes that challenge comprehensive school teachers' occupational well-being and cause burnout and how teachers perceive the relationship between themselves and their working environment in these episodes. Altogether, a selected group of 68 primary and secondary school teachers were…

This qualitative study explores the preparation and practice of school leaders in Taiwan based on indepth interviews and observations with six Taiwan school directors serving geographically diverse student populations. The journey leading to school leadership and the challenges that this representative group of educational leaders face are…

This article is based on the findings of a funded research project. It examines the perspectives of teaching assistants (TAs) and higher-level teaching assistants (HLTAs) on their responsibilities and their views on leadership and management to see how they might have a role in leadership and management. The sample (N = 58) was drawn from schools…

This two-phase sequential mixed methods study examined the relationship between professional development, whether in the form of traditional professional development, a professional learning community and/or lesson study, and teacher self-efficacy and self-directed learning in order to gain a greater understanding of the role professional…

Background/Context: Though change is constant in organizations, determining how to successfully implement planned change has been a perennial challenge for both organizational scholars and practitioners. While the empirical knowledge base on planned change in schools and other organizations offers numerous insights, the inattention to activity, or…

This phenomenological study explored the experiences of rural school counselors as social justice advocates. The first author interviewed seven participants in their respective communities and identified five themes, including both positive and negative elements: the stability of place, community promise, mutual reliance, professional and personal…