Previous educational reform efforts have not made significant, lasting improvements because they focused on correcting visible structural flaws. Educational organizations are social organisms held together by a symbolic webbing, not formal systems driven by goals, official roles, commands, and rules. Deep structures and practices must be…

Discusses the impact on El Cerrito High School teachers of the bankruptcy of the Richmond Unified School District. Suggests that the teachers have lost the luxury of a moment to reflect. (RS)

Recounts a dinner conversation between 2 high school English teachers: a 30-year veteran, and a former protege planning to enter college teaching after 5 disappointing years pursuing a vision of classroom integrity. Both seem disillusioned by incessant daily interruptions and distractions beyond their control. Sadly the teacher attrition rate…

Examines the teacher shortage in public schools and describes a survey that asked Catholic school teachers why they chose to work in a religious environment. Discusses responses, including: (1) 45% said they wanted to share the faith with their students; (2) 9% said they needed a job; and (3) 12% said that they had attended a Catholic school.…

A majority (60%) of 61 winners of outstanding young agriculture teacher awards identified seven important problems/challenges for beginning teachers. At the top were classroom management and discipline, time and organizational management, and management of Future Farmers of America activities. (SK)

Offers suggestions for creating a prepared environment for teachers, within the context of Montessori practice. Maintains that teachers' status can be ensured by practices such as giving concrete individual acknowledgments, creating social times together, learning together, doing purposeful process work, exhibiting respectful behavior,…

Discusses Louisiana teacher resignation case wherein the trial court ruled and the appeals court affirmed that the resignation was not made under duress and thus the district had not breached the teacher's contract. Discusses other court decisions dealing with issues of voluntary resignation and withdrawal and their implications for principals.…

This article sounds a call to action and addresses the challenges of creating inclusive, queer-affirming art teacher education curricula. We examine such challenges through case study vignettes of our varied US university settings and explore the perils of teaching in an increasingly queer-hostile culture. Strategies are given for avoiding attacks…

Online education is particularly well suited to the needs of community college students. Although community colleges have lower per-unit fees than four-year colleges and universities, many community college students still experience economic hardship. Even with fee waivers, students may have problems finding the money for textbooks,…

Given calls to diversify the teaching workforce, this review examines research on retention and turnover of teachers of color, focusing on new teachers because they leave at disproportionately high rates. Reviewing 70 studies, the authors found that (a) recent national studies identify turnover rates for teachers of color are now higher than those…

This report describes how the education system in the United States compares with education systems in the other Group of Eight (G-8) countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom) that are among the world's most economically developed countries and among the United States' largest economic partners.…

Voices of veteran junior high and high school biology teachers are seldom heard. Yet, the unique characteristics of this subject-matter may shed some light on veteran teachers' lives in school and their possible contribution to educational systems anywhere. Eight teachers were interviewed, aiming to arrive at their self-perceptions as veteran…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the reasons current or former tenured special education teachers in a Local Education Agency remain or leave their special education teaching positions through the theoretical perspectives of organizational learning and organizational culture. The paper aims to describe the influence of increased…

This article describes a full-time teaching internship program, where, in lieu of student teaching, interns serve as classroom teachers in urban area schools. Through a partnership between a university and participating school districts, all interns received intensive mentoring and induction during their first year. Among the program results, were…

This study explores relationships between teachers' organizational commitment and interpersonal conflict, participation activities beyond the classroom, and innovation in schools. Potential relationships among study variables are suggested in research that views affective commitment as a proxy measure for decisions to leave the school. Increments…