Forty teachers were surveyed in order to determine their level of support for the official curriculum of Sweden, Laroplan 69. Laroplan 69 puts the student at the center of schooling and promotes an egalitarian view of social relationships. Teachers who favored the official curriculum shared socialist beliefs; those who were least sympathetic held…

The Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire (OCDQ), modified by Thomas and Slater for use in South Australian schools in 1970, was based on four factors (rather than the original eight): principal supportiveness or operations emphasis and teacher disaffiliation or intimacy. A recent study in New South Wales has validated this four-factor…

The simultaneous presence of faculty growth and a sense of faculty community can help a good school really shine. This article explores ways in which a school environment supporting these two factors can be developed and maintained, using the private Sidwell Friends Lower School in Washington, D.C., as an example. (PGD)

Identifies specific factors that elementary school teachers perceive as affecting job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Includes teachers' suggestions for improving school environment. Confidential questionnaires were completed by 230 public school teachers in the Midwest. (CB)

Reports a survey of 528 rural British Columbia teachers to determine their levels of satisfaction with the quality of their working lives. Notes the major sources of dissatisfaction and satisfaction reported by the respondents. Describes the research procedure used and includes detailed tabular results. (SB)

In satirical verse the author affirms the value of merit pay proposals and laments the lack of action on such proposals that has resulted from indecisiveness concerning criteria for merit pay implementation. (JBM)

Examines a study applying the problem-sensing and idea-generating capacities of the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) in part-time faculty workshops. Outlines the NGT process and its use in identifying the institutional conditions that facilitate and inhibit part-time teachers' effectiveness. (DMM)

Reviews 6 topics of current reesearch on teacher effectiveness (school effectiveness, teacher shortage, teacher stress, classroom organization, professional growth, and job satisfaction) and suggests 13 activities for meeting faculty members' needs (including the establishment of faculty improvement and cultural funds, housing allowances, merit…

A survey of 39 schools in five states compared teachers' and principals' perceptions of the six most important functions of the principalship in maximizing school effectiveness. The study revealed that human resource management has the greatest impact on teachers' job satisfaction and performance. (TE)

Students and faculty have had numerous disruptions this academic year with Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma developing into major stressors. During this innovative session, we will examine some of the challenges and strategies used by faculty to work with students to maintain empathy and academic rigor in times of stress and disruption, and…

Over the past 50 years, theoretical and methodological problems have plagued the study of leadership. This paper reviews the literature in the areas of leadership; leadership theories; leadership styles; and the effect of principal leadership on teachers' morale, performance, and student achievement. The literature shows that principal leadership…

This study focused on the nature and formation of a professional identity for the community college professoriate. In late 2000, a random national sample of more than 1,500 community college faculty were surveyed on their professional practices and attitudes. This survey, which contained over 200 items, revealed that the community college…

Mineral Point Elementary School in Wisconsin initiated an instruction and internship program among its first-grade teaching team. The program aimed to assure that first- and second-graders developed reading and language arts competencies, math readiness, and social and work habits that will lead to outstanding literacy abilities. A key factor in…

Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) works with 10 American-affiliated Pacific entities: (1) American Samoa; (2) the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands; (3) the Federated States of Micronesia (Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, Yap); (4) Guam; (5) Hawaii; (6) the Republic of the Marshall Islands; and (7) the Republic of Palau. This…

Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) works closely with 10 American-affiliated Pacific entities: (1)American Samoa; (2) the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands; (3) the Federated States of Micronesia (Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, Yap); (4) Guam; (5) Hawaii; (6) the Republic of the Marshall Islands; and (7) the Republic of Palau.…