This dissertation presents a framework for investigating how school level phenomena may influence African-American teacher retention, attrition, and mobility in K-12 contexts. I argue that prevalent assumptions and inadequate data concerning the state of black educators have inhibited thorough investigation of minority employment trends in K-12…

This study examined the relationship between principals' leadership styles and teachers' job satisfaction. A demographic survey, the School-Level Environment Questionnaire (Fisher and Fraser, 1990), and the Job Descriptive Index (Smith, et, al. 1969) were administered to 232 teachers representing the San Antonio Independent School District. The…

Recognizing the considerable significance of schools' ability to create an environment of trust and mutual respect, the Center for Teaching Quality--in collaboration with the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards Commission and with generous support from the Karen and Christopher Payne Family Foundation--conducted two focus groups with…

Essays by education policy analysts discuss results of the 1985 NEA Conditions and Resources of Teaching (CART) survey, including an overview and appraisal of the survey results, their relation to other similar studies, and the potential for and projected costs of change in the allocation of resources for teachers. The first paper, by Samuel B.…

Paradoxically, although major forces in society are pushing for improvement in the American educational system, many teachers experience job overload, isolation, and increasing despair. This book is the first in a trilogy designed to help teachers and principals fight for fundamentally positive changes that will benefit themselves and their…

This study investigated secondary teachers' perceptions of school organizational climate relative to their own professional growth and development attitudes. Instrumentation consisted of the "School Climate Profile," chosen for its range of determinants of school organizational climate in the secondary school, and a Likert scaling procedure to…

Section 1 of this report presents the results of a national survey of public school teachers in 1990, which solicited their views and opinions on the current condition of teaching. Over 20,000 teachers responded to the survey which contained questions ranging from their assessment of overall morale to the availability of instructional materials,…

The first of two questions investigated in this paper concerns the relationships among three measures of teachers' expectations: that their students can succeed, that they can be successful as teachers, and that they can influence what happens in their classrooms and schools. The second question involves relationships between these three types of…

This paper reports on a study designed to identify the relationships among the context variables of sense of efficacy, teacher empowerment, and school climate as perceived by 1,802 Kansas City (Missouri) teachers. Factors related to teacher sense of efficacy (teaching efficacy and personal efficacy), to teacher empowerment, defined as the…

A growing number of educators are focusing their efforts on improving the work environment of teaching. In place of the typical school's norms and practices that isolate teachers from one another, collaborative schools have norms that encourage teachers and principals to cooperate for school improvement. Such schools are characterized by frequent…

A comprehensive survey was conducted seeking the opinions of 40,000 secondary school teachers on the impact of school reform proposals. Over 13,500 teachers returned questionnaires, for a response rate of 33.9%. In this report an evaluation is presented of the school renewal movement drawn from the perspective of the teacher. The survey included…

This article explores the relationship between teachers perceptions of administrative practice in high schools and students perceptions of the school, teachers and their own performance. It was found that where decision making is perceived by teachers as collegial, collaborative, co-operative and consultative and providing adequate opportunities…

This review summarizes the rapidly growing body of findings on the social and organizational environment of teaching and examines one innovation--the collaborative school--that offers promise of an organizational context more conducive to effective teaching. Chapter 1 characterizes the actual conditions under which teachers work, focusing on…

This annotated bibliography was prepared to serve as background material for the writing of the synthesis paper "From Isolation to Collaboration: Improving the Work Environment of Teaching." Items were selected to represent the range of issues that pertain to the social and organizational context of teaching. The selected materials…

This study used focused interviews, participant observations, and document review to identify five organizational and personal factors that 40 teachers (general education, special education, and specialists) in a small rural school district reported as affecting their receptivity to change: (1) the degree to which schools are ready for change; (2)…