Every survey of teachers that's ever been conducted has shown that the number one reason for them staying or quitting their jobs is related to the quality of their work environment. Here's a book with practical strategies for how to make the job of teaching easier and more rewarding by overcoming day-to-day frustrations. Veteran educator Allen…

Early childhood professionals are familiar with finding and appreciating daily moments of joy. Teachers smile inside and out when toddlers are able to pull up their own pants, preschoolers write their names for the first time, or kindergarteners figure out how to make complicated patterns with blocks. Working with young children can also be very…

What happens when school personnel, or family members of one's students are laid off, are out of work for months, and their unemployment insurance ends? What happens when students complain that they can't find after-school or summer jobs? When these things occur, people worry about what will happen to them and to those they care about. Students…

Being a principal, superintendent, dean, provost, or president carries a wide array of responsibilities and burdens. An inevitable part of being a leader is that some decisions are very hard to make which means that leaders carry a huge emotional burden. Author Rick Ginsberg identifies strategies that educational leaders have identified as helping…

Colleges and universities, like corporations and other nonprofit organizations, are subject to periodic fluctuations in the economy and public support. Thus, the question is not whether they will confront financial problems but rather when and how. This article describes how institutions and boards can detect budgets in crisis, provides principles…

School attendance is an ongoing concern for administrators, particularly in middle-level and high school. Frequent absences affect student learning, test scores, and social development. Administrators who understand the causes of school refusal behavior and are aware of effective intervention strategies can help provide supportive school…

This booklet, which is based on discussions with some three dozen experts who work with students, provides practical information for parents and students who are coping with the aftermath of a natural disaster, as well as teachers, coaches, school administrators and others who are helping those affected. Although the focus is on natural disasters,…

Research has shown that students' social, emotional, and behavioral health affects their academic achievement. This has enormous implications for teachers, school mental health providers, and the students themselves. A student who is hungry, disengaged, preoccupied, or behaviorally disruptive simply is not going to respond as well to even the best…

Early days on the job can be less than joyful for new teachers who regularly find themselves in seemingly impossible situations. Four educators who survived to tell the tale share their experiences and offer insight into what gave them the strength to continue on their chosen path.

Describes how one first-grade classroom dealt with the tragedy of the Challenger explosion. (MD)

First-year experiences in administration can color one's perceptions of the job, the career, and life goals. Ineffective socialization and assimilation during this period can also have serious consequences for staff, students, and community. This paper attempts to identify the significant issues, conflicts, and experiences occurring during the…

Trustees find themselves in the middle of an ongoing battle over accountability and autonomy. Government officials accuse the academy of being more interested in autonomy than accountability--more interested in demanding financial support than in serving public priorities. Business leaders question the responsiveness of colleges and universities…

Defining burnout as a continuous variable comprising emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment failure, this study explores the relationship between job satisfaction and burnout in 128 school administrators in a large western Canadian city. Findings reveal that administrators' dissatisfaction with workload, status and…

Every two hours and 15 minutes in the United States, a person who is under the age of 25 years old completes a suicide. As such, everyone must be on the watch for the signs of adolescent suicide, and everyone must know how to respond when they come face to face with it. All must confront this epidemic and provide space within schools for students…

The president of the University of Miami (Florida) at the time of Hurricane Andrew discusses the challenges of coping with widespread campus destruction and the resulting organizational crisis, and offers guidelines for responding rapidly and effectively to the needs and concerns of various constituents. (MSE)