Although bus drivers, teacher assistants, secretaries, hall aides, and cafeteria workers are vital to the school organization, they are often overlooked entirely by inservice training and staff development planners. This article describes a Long Island (New York) school district's successful staff development day exclusively for nonteaching…

Describes (prompted by Pete Rose's unsuccessful challenge to the authority of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball) the creation of the Commissioner's office in 1921 by Albert Lasker, an advertising and public relations genius, to deal with the public relations problem facing baseball in the wake of the 1919-20 Black Sox scandal. (SR)

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)

We surveyed 31 prospective employers (65% response rate) regarding their views on character as part of the employment selection process. The results showed character qualities superordinate, relative to skills that prospective employees bring to potential jobs. We discuss survey results in light of business educators' responsibility for helping…

The "Talking Stick" is published bimonthly, six times a year in January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, and November/December by the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International. Each issue is divided into three sections: Features, Columns, and Departments. These sections contain…

The purpose of this book is to explore ways for campuses to maintain morale during the tough times facing higher education in the 1990s. Its message is based on two assumptions: (1) the very process of assessing morale can enhance morale; and (2) there are ways to enhance morale that do not require large infusions of new dollars. Chapters cover…

Burnout and decreased levels of self-efficacy are contributors to the high attrition rate and increasing demand for highly-qualified special educators nationwide. This has led to a national shortage of special educators, which is a critical reason why current special educators are encountering high stress levels, dissatisfaction, and overall…

This article considers how the private finance initiative, a contract for infrastructure, affected teachers' perceptions of efficacy, job satisfaction, and morale at an urban secondary school in the United Kingdom. Qualitative data collection techniques, including unstructured observation and semistructured personal interviews, were utilized to…

There is widespread interest in the impact of unauthorised absence on pupil attainment, links with disaffection, exclusion from school and criminality. However, little is heard about what those who take unauthorised absence from school think that the effect has been on them; nor do we hear the voices of other pupils and their teachers. This…

Analysis of religious activities and attitudes in a longitudinal panel of 272 community residents showed there were several significant and substantial correlations between religion and happiness, feelings of usefulness, and adjustment; these correlations also tended to be stronger for older persons and tended to increase over time. (Author)

The digest examines the supply and the quality of special education personnel and notes problems in the area of personnel preparation. Statistics are cited to show that the current supply of qualified personnel does not meet demand, particularly in such important areas as special education. Similarly, efforts in recent years to strengthen the…

While it is clear that health status is important in determining morale, and that social contact also contributes to morale, the interaction of health status and social contact on morale is not well understood. Elderly frail community residents (N=40) were interviewed twice in a 1-year period about their contact with friends, grandchildren,…

The author mentions findings of research on teacher morale and points out supportive roles which school personnel can play in helping teachers of emotionally handicapped students. Among the supportive settings listed are informal conversations, supervisory conferences, staff meetings, and inservice training sessions. Eight supportive roles which…

Reports on the construct validity of the Staff Morale Questionnaire, initially developed to measure five dimensions of morale among Australian teachers. Factor analysis confirms that the instrument taps only three dimensions--cohesive pride, leadership synergy, and personal challenge. (Author/IRT)