We use dialogic theory to frame our conversation about how we are completing our Ph.D.s, in an attempt to help other students finish their degrees. Dialogic theory allows us to document how we think through the Ph.D. process, critically evaluate our experiences in graduate school, and transcend solely individualistic or structurally oriented…

In this article, I examine the distribution of time pressure associated with the roles of marital partner and parent using data from a telephone survey. Results of an analysis of open-ended responses indicate that less than a quarter of respondents are satisfied with the time they spend with their children and spouses. Women are more likely to…

The purpose of the study reported in this chapter was to determine if senior evaluation consultants experienced stages of growth in their practice similar to the small business development stages described by Bruce and Scott, to identify the stimuli that led to those changes, to determine what the consultants learned from these incidents, and to…

This volume offers 14 chapters of practical advice for teachers on how to handle the demands of their profession and how to avoid burnout during their career. The chapters are: (1) "Fitting in with the Staff" (teachers, administrators, staff, aides, resource teachers, librarians or media specialists, professional help, school board, nurse); (2)…

By studying the process by which disadvantaged and low-achieving high school students are assigned to classes and special programs, how and why disadvantaged students are placed in inappropriate programs can be understood. Reasons exist to question the assumption that students are assigned to programs rationally on the basis of information about…

Fifty teachers from the St. Louis, Missouri area have been involved in a project to bring the development strategies used by the Reggio Emilia preschools in Italy to the United States. Their experiences suggest that teachers need to adopt professional development plans that identify goals, select methods of support to achieve these goals, plan for…

This practicum was implemented to assist teachers who were investigating the possibility of participation in school-based management shared decision-making initiatives at a local school level. The particular focus was to assist the teachers to make decisions based on knowledge and to supply information about the appropriate manipulation of time…

Strategic planning techniques for administrators, with a focus on process managers, are presented in this guidebook. The three major tasks of the strategic planning process include the assessment of the current organizational situation, goal setting, and the development of strategies to accomplish this. Strategic planning differs from long-range…

A study examined the impact of time allocation on the performance and satisfaction of special needs and nondisabled students enrolled in a vocational home economics community and home services program in one Ohio school district. During the study, researchers compared the performance and attitudes of disabled and nondisabled students enrolled in…

The relationships among training activities, teacher perceptions of recommended practices, and teacher behavior change were investigated. Nineteen junior high school teachers of low-achieving students were observed prior to receiving training in workshops on use of academic time. The teachers also responded to questionnaires designed to determine…

During the first phase of a three-phase study of teaching basic reading skills in the secondary schools, 43 secondary-school reading classrooms were observed for three days, and the relationships between teaching processes and students' gains in reading were examined. Data were recorded with the Secondary Observation Instrument, and the Classroom…

A regional workshop was held in which educational researchers and practitioners shared their innovations, successes, concerns, and progress in using research and development to promote excellence in their state and local education agencies. This document reports its proceedings. "School Improvement: What the Research Says," by David P.…

This curriculum guide is intended to assist business and office occupations teachers in preparing clerical and secretarial students to function in offices whose procedures and equipment are changing rapidly in the face of modern technology. Although the curriculum has been developed primarily for students enrolled in secondary-level vocational…

A facilitator's manual for the Summer Transition Enrichment Program at Bowling Green State University is presented. The overall objectives of the program are: (1) to facilitate the transition of entering freshmen into the academic and cultural life of the university; and (2) to assist students in their personal growth and adjustment to the…

Several major reports on the status of education in the United States have been presented to the public and to educators and government bodies in recent years. Nine of these reports provide the source material for this document on the state of the search for educational excellence: Adler's "Paideia Proposal,""A Nation at…