This study was conducted to survey undergraduates majoring in education and teachers in the field regarding reasons for becoming a teacher and to determine levels of variance in response between these two groups. In the Spring of 1994, a survey instrument containing 10 reasons for becoming a teacher was pilot tested with 110 teachers and 152…

Employee absenteeism is a problem faced by all library and information service managers as it erodes both salary budgets and productivity. It can have an undermining effect on staff morale, and may be an indicator of low staff motivation levels. There are two types of absence, unavoidable and avoidable, which can be measured using lost time and…

This paper examines the degree to which women faculty and administrators are able to engage in connected knowing and interdependent definitions of self and reality within an institutional environment that values and rewards individualism, separateness, competition, and objectivity. The paper notes that connected knowing is essentially the process…

A study of graduates of the de Lissa Institute of Early Childhood Studies and the School of Early Childhood Studies (SECS) at the University of Melbourne in Australia identified changes in the professional attitudes of teachers during their first year of teaching. Early childhood teachers working in junior primary schools, preschool kindergartens,…

This survey, the eighth in a series of biannual surveys of demographic information related to Texas public school teachers, had 361 respondents. Data indicate that the average teacher in Texas is a 43-year-old female, making a $30,395 salary, is married with a working spouse, has a bachelor's degree, is not the breadwinner, teaches elementary…

Describing an effort to improve conditions for adjunct faculty in the communications division at Johnson County Community College (JCCC), in Kansas, this paper outlines steps taken and provides materials generated by the effort. Following a brief abstract of the project, two sample essays written by full-time faculty with experience as adjuncts…

This book is designed to accompany "A Good Place to Work: Sourcebook for the Academic Workplace" and represents a tool for colleges interested in supporting faculty morale and the quality of the academic workplace. The Audit, developed from a study by the Council of Independent Colleges, is organized into nine sections, each one focusing on an…

The problem of poor school climate in an eighth- and ninth-grade center was addressed by the implementation of a school climate improvement project. The following are the primary goals of this practicum: (1) improve school attendance; (2) reduce out-of-school suspensions; and (3) improve student and teacher morale. To address these goals, a…

The first major purpose of this paper is to show the ways in which teachers can benefit from research and the application of research findings to classroom interactions with children. The second major purpose is to examine research findings on the quality and characteristics of teachers' interactions with children by looking at findings on…

The literature concerning burnout is reviewed, and specific ways that burnout can be minimized or eliminated in colleges are suggested. Burnout may occur with individuals who work with other people and who give much more than they get in return. Symptoms may include lack of enthusiasm for work, a sense of helplessness, and frustration. Physical…

Although employment decisions must be in harmony with existing case laws and statutes, such decisions allow for more flexibility than is sometimes supposed. Increasingly, state legislators and other public officials (including Secretary of Education T. H. Bell and Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander) are working to establish differentiated pay…

Teams in an organization are more than cooperative working groups. Advantages of group work, as opposed to individual work, include producing a better end result, providing satisfaction for the individual and the organization, and assisting the organization through coordination and work allocation. Disadvantages of group work include producing a…

This document contains 11 papers on school staff development: (1) "The Staff Development for School Improvement Program" (Winifred I. Warnat); (2) "A Teacher's View of a Staff Development Project" (Lynn Kleiman); (3) "Staff Development from the Principal's Perspective" (Dixie Hibner); (4) "Stepping-Stones to Success" (Barbara A. Skone); (5)…

This paper shows how, in two suburban high schools, Cherry Glen and Pinehill, teachers' work control interacted with normative and social integration in their effect upon teachers' engagement with their work. In each school, a two-person team initially observed, and later interviewed, eight teachers in English, math, foreign language, social…

The results of a study of school/business partnerships is reported. This privately funded national study was an assessment of collaborations attempting to increase the effectiveness of public schools. Qualitative research techniques were employed to study the components and structures of the programs and to assess student outcomes. The following…