Positive motivation to perform work tasks has been associated with better performance and outcomes in both the organizational and informal education literature. In environmental education (EE), this means that more motivated instructors are likely to provide better programs for their participants. In this exploratory study across 15 states in the…

As of 2015, approximately one in five special educators received licensure through an alternative pathway. Although evidence suggests that emotional exhaustion contributes to special educator attrition, few studies examine firsthand the emotional experiences of novice, alternatively certified special educators. Guided by Tuxford and Bradley's…

The purpose of this quantitative study is to explore the frequency of uncivil behaviors amongst teachers. The research seeks to determine leadership support and job satisfaction levels in order to relate their relationship to turnover. Fulfillment of teachers' basic psychological needs is essential for optimal performance and growth. The 2018…

Barriers to classroom participation for postsecondary students with disabilities are often addressed through accommodations via disability resource offices. However, the use of individualized accommodations as the sole method for resolving access barriers in the classroom is neither sustainable nor equitable. Furthermore, this somewhat flawed…

Describes an Illinois elementary principal's efforts to work with teachers to reshape her school's culture, curriculum, and organization into a model stressing collegiality and greater teacher involvement. A staff development calendar and action plan are presented to illustrate the patchwork quilting analogy. (four references) (MLH)

Pairs of Illinois elementary teachers (previously enrolled in a language arts cooperative development project) formed a partner system involving communication via shared journals to reduce isolation during a staff development project. Participants found the shared journals very effective in sustaining collegiality. The article notes five…

The collegial networking model, advanced for women as an alternative to the traditional "old boy" male network in the late 1970s and early 1980s, is described in this paper. Based on affiliation rather than competitiveness, the collegial model is applicable to professional women in the 1990s, with the following added recommendations: (1)…

In an organizationally competent school, everyone has a role that defines his or her obligations and everyone is part of a reciprocal relationship that spells out mutual obligations. Reciprocal role relationships enable informal communities of practice to bubble up and institutionalized collaborative cultures to trickle down. When such informal…

A survey of 71 rural Illinois school psychologists examined the frequency of their professional contacts, their level of computer knowledge, and their access to technology. Results indicate that although rural school psychologists serve an average of 1,620 students, practice in an average of 5.5 schools, and work for 2.2 school districts,…

In Chicago and suburban schools there are many teachers who have not had an opportunity to take part in either induction or orientation programs during their first year of teaching. Exposed to proper and adequate induction programs, beginning teachers may demonstrate higher performance and skill in classroom management, instruction, discipline,…