A step-by-step transition to automation at the American Association for Higher Education led to a smaller staff and higher individual productivity. (MSE)

Describes social climate dimensions characterizing work, school, and health care settings, emphasizing how personal factors vary influence on morale and performance. Discusses cross-situational linkages, focusing on educator work climate and student learning environment, and students' school and family interplay. Reviews influence of personal…

Recommends that the study of trade unions be included in the school curriculum. Argues that learning about relationships between unions and management through interviews, observations, and simulations can enhance the overall approach to teaching about controversial topics. Gives examples of some attempts to do this in schools. (TW)

Women's participation in family farm labor has been underestimated. A study of small farms in rural Quebec during 1978 measured laborer characteristics, time spent on activities, distribution of responsibility, and extent of household production. Results indicate that women's direct and indirect contributions must be integrated into agricultural…

The myriad duties in academic life make it especially difficult to keep stress under control. Some of the reasons academic careers are so stressful include: competition, low pay and poor working conditions, tight resources, lessened mobility, growth in part-time positions, and high self-expectations. (MLW)

By increasing salaries, raising hiring standards, improving working conditions, and giving teachers more professional status, public education will greatly improve the quality of its teachers, but the best will not be attracted until base salaries are above $30,000 or other means are found to bring top scholars into the field. (MSE)

Areas of concern for human resource managers include a move toward management by anticipation, relating people to organizations, motivational effects of physical plant design and layout, more use of work teams, better strategies for managing managers and professionals, treating employees as assets, new systems of managing managers and…

Self-assessment leads to stronger performance in the nation's colleges and universities. That's the premise of "Excellence in Higher Education," a model self-assessment program that has earned accolades from the higher education community. Based on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award framework, the third edition of this bestseller is the…

It has become more and more common to read and hear that the essential factor underlying effective schools is an ethos or culture of excellence and that effective school leaders are culture builders. The main purpose of this study was to ascertain administrators' views of their schools' climate. The second purpose was to examine imperative skills…

This research brief presents some main findings from a study of employer-based support systems in the United States to help families meet their caregiving responsibilities, and focuses on the failure of existing policies to support caregiving responsibilities of low-income parents and women. The brief also presents policy alternatives to help…

Parents and community members who want to improve their schools are often told that things "must" be done a certain way because of rules and regulations. Often union contracts are blamed for why certain changes cannot be made. Union contracts may not be the barrier to change, however; management inaction may be the real culprit. This…

The Real Game is a Canadian career education simulation for 12- and 13-year-olds that is currently being adapted for the United Kingdom. The game emphasizes the following five main messages: remember that change is constant; understand that learning is ongoing; focus on the journey; follow your heart; and access your allies. The game's…

The issue of integrating work and family responsibilities has been the subject of federal, provincial, and territorial policy planning and several task forces in Canada. This report plus executive summary, designed to inform the dialogue and stimulate continued discussion, brings together a wide variety of work-life facts and figures related to…

A study assessed the teaching/learning environment of one professional development school in a variety of ways that included a combination of quantitative and qualitative measures. Results were analyzed using the eight scales of the "School Level Environment Questionnaire" (SLEQ) as categories: Student Support, Affiliation, Professional…

In response to a Congressional request, the General Accounting Office examined issues related to pesticide safety for children in agricultural settings. Pesticides can cause acute, chronic, or delayed-onset illnesses. Children may be exposed to pesticides through farm work; eating pesticide-treated foods; or contact with drift from pesticide…