Three tensions inherent to how we govern, operate, and study schools are discussed: teacher autonomy versus educational equity; the measurement of school effectiveness, and the issue of who participates in the educational process. Suggestions for how policymakers, researchers, and practicioners might resolve their differences are made. (JL)

Public librarians in Quebec were surveyed to compare their orientation toward a field-specific model of professionalism with their orientation toward a traditional model based on traits derived from other professions. Results indicate that they had a stronger orientation toward the field-specific model to measure the level of professionalism in…

The term "paired careers" refers to career arrangements wherein two or more individuals bind their professional trajectories together over time. Pairs are distinguished along two dimensions: their genesis (from a task-based or an affection-based relationship) and the roles performed by the partners (complementary or interchangeable).…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate teachers' perceptions of administrators' contribution to their teaching and learning by identifying those administrator attributes and behaviors that promote learning. The study incorporated individual studies by 10 doctoral students, in a doctoral research class project. Each researcher…

In an attempt to measure faculty involvement in college governance at historically black colleges and universities (HCBUs),a study was conducted in fall 1996 at a private, historically black institution in Alabama. Questionnaires, with 25 Likert-type scale items, were distributed at a faculty senate meeting; the response rate was 79 percent…

Generally, in Japanese as a Second Language (JSL) teacher education, various teaching approaches are introduced to trainee teachers by highly experienced teachers or specialists. This training helps trainees acquire a particular body of knowledge about JSL, and hopefully through this approach, teaching methods that are commonly perceived to be…

This book discusses issues central to the character of the Catholic, Jesuit university. The initial chapters consider the Catholic university in general, with subsequent chapters narrowing to issues related to Jesuit institutions in particular and their two "signs of contradiction"-their commitment to open, free discussion and academic…

The views of 24 Australian university faculty interviewed about the way higher education's recession has affected their work reveals a widening gap between academic ideals and institutional realities. Comments focus on: teaching, students, research, colleagues, career prospects, the university, and the quality of academic life. (MSE)

Chronicles the development of collaborative teaching efforts in higher education, in a context of declining resources. Outlines models of team coordinated teaching and team teaching, and identifies four dimensions of collaboration: integration, interaction, active learning, and faculty autonomy. Offers a model of collaborative college teaching…

Three eras in the history of examining outcomes of education are described, and a new approach labeled as "assessment" is characterized as a postmodern era of achievement testing. This era is marked by increasing the teacher's authority to evaluate achievement and questioning the relevance of certain psychometric principles of evaluation. (SLD)

Research shows that in small schools students have better attendance and higher test scores, participate in more activities, are less violent, and feel more connected to their schools; teachers form closer bonds with students and are more innovative; and parents are more involved. Three models are examined: small schools, schools within a school,…

Interviews with nine principals of Hong Kong schools found that faced with uncertainties arising from Hong Kong's political transition, principals were somewhat confident about coping with changes in curricula and school management but felt less control over broader changes in access and opportunity following the expected influx of teachers and…

This special issue presents commissioned papers and responses to them from the American Society of Allied Health Professions Critical Issues Conference on independent practice and its implications for policy, medical care, and professional autonomy. Authors are Havighurst, Hershey, Gillespie, Cronin, Jones, Ramsey, Thomas, McTernan, Burian,…

The authors argue that stability and change are in a dialectical relationship in the schools. The voices of stability, policymakers, administrators, and some teacher educators, focus on products of education; but the voices of teachers, heard throughout the book, call out for change and recognition of the hardships of teaching. (SLD)

This study examined the relationships between teacher autonomy and certain attitudinal and work-related variables. Public school teachers completed the Survey of Teacher Characteristics and Activities. Autonomous teachers were more satisfied with their profession, perceived a lighter paperwork load, had a more positive attitude toward students,…