Purpose: This study examined an urban district's capacity to diffuse instructional innovations. Social network analysis (SNA) was used to examine the relationship between "informal" teacher support networks and "formal" teacher support networks engineered by administrators through required membership on a team. This study also…

This study introduces a critical issue in the practicality of training programs, not only in Saudi Arabia, but also in other developing countries where billions of dollars are spent on training human resources without evaluation of these programs on workplace practice and organization development. This study investigates barriers encountered in…

Defines proactivity as a way of behaving that directly alters your work environment. Discusses the role of initiative; proactive school librarians; change opportunities; change-oriented goals; and the downsides of proactivity, both institutional and personal. (LRW)

Educators possess a wealth of understanding and experience that can help colleagues deal with heavy work pressures more effectively within the framework of a whole school policy for stress management. The coping strategies discussed embrace a wide range of skills, knowledge, techniques, relationships, thoughts, and activities that may be…

Employee suggestion programs eliminate many of the barriers for change. Ways are outlined to encourage employees to offer their ideas. (Author/MLF)

Support is reported for the proposals of the Carnegie Task Force on Teaching as a Profession for sweeping reforms of the public schools and the teaching profession, including rigorous national teacher certification, emphasis on liberal arts in teacher education and increased graduate study, and improvements in conditions of the profession. (MSE)

Most superintendents experience high levels of stress associated with their school administrator role. This paper reports on a survey conducted to help Maine superintendents better understand the stressors inherent in their role. The Survey of Superintendent Stressors was distributed to all 1989-90 Maine public school superintendents and a…

The potential impacts of teacher work reform efforts on attracting and retaining the best teachers are summarized in this paper, which draws on research conducted in Utah, Colorado, and Missouri between 1985 and 1991. Bluedorn's (1982) model of turnover is used to evaluate the effects of teacher work reform on turnover, which is composed of…

The leadership task for a new age of schools is to stimulate continuous innovation, rather than to manage for compliance using outdated standards of work. This paper presents a typology of work cultures--the varying work conditions of schools and the challenges they present to principals in developing high-performance work cultures. Data were…

The involvement of teachers in large-scale innovations is critical if attempts to improve schooling are to succeed. An analysis of the teacher's role in educational change is presented with particular focus upon teacher concerns about innovations. A description is given of the Concerns-Based Adoption Model, which identifies the individual teachers…

Since 1990, over 40 Illinois and Massachusetts school districts have built capacity for sustained improvement through vertically structured, district-level Learning Leadership Teams. Originated by Motorola executives, LLT was based on an understanding of organizational change derived from the National Science Foundation's definition of systemic…

Parents, teachers, and government officials agree that America's schools must be reformed. However, new research suggests that most reforms will not work without closer attention to one critical resource--time. This document presents findings of a study conducted by the Rand Institute on Education and Training, which found that any reform takes…

Instructionally, schools tend to be "weakly normed" organizational systems in which teachers bring relatively little pressure upon each other to change and/or improve their classroom performance. Because teachers tolerate a wide range of behavior among their colleagues and are reluctant to offer criticism of each other, those responsibile for…

This paper explores the dynamics of managing collective problem solving and decision making, and the application of tools and strategies to deal with the emergent complexity of systems in which educators work. Schools and educational programs are complex adaptive systems that respond to changes in internal and external environments. Functioning…

A staff development program for a New Jersey school district involved a day-long visit to a new corporate office complex to acquaint teachers with a modern electronic office and the need to prepare students for the modern workplace. (MLF)