Academic freedom is understood as a set of individual protections and community practices for faculty to assess quality, promote truth-seeking, and advance the common good through research, teaching, and other expression. It is also understood as a set of institutional principles for universities when it comes to decision-making about academic…

This book addressed teachers' necessity to be able to respond to the new needs and demands caused by an ever-evolving educational system, as recognized in the national and international policy and research literature. The book proposes an analysis of the features that shape the journey of the teacher profession and professionalism, a journey which…

Special education teacher attrition has numerous negative impacts for students and schools. Administrators play an essential role in supporting special educators, but they seldom receive adequate preparation to provide this support effectively. The authors synthesize job characteristics theory, an area of research conducted by organizational…

The purpose of the present article is to review the contextual conditions that lead teachers to be more controlling rather than autonomy supportive with their students. Research indicates that the more teachers perceive that school administration thwarts their autonomy by imposing pressures on them, the less autonomous they are in their motivation…

Background: Throughout the Western world, the fallout from the standards/standardization agenda has resulted in potential leaders questioning educational leadership as a career path. Moreover, the aging of the baby boom generation has created a shortage of qualified principals in many educational jurisdictions. Policy makers have responded to…

What is the scope of First Amendment free expression rights of public school employees and students? Following a long period with no Supreme Court rulings pertaining to public employee or student speech, the Court since 2006 has delivered significant opinions in this regard. These decisions continue the trend of narrowing the circumstances under…

Van Allen (1996) supports a paradigm shift in how Americans think about education, from a view of school as hierarchy to school as continuum. While the relationship between elementary and secondary education is not always visible, teachers can model cooperative learning for students by working as a team across grade levels to solve problem,…

School leaders will never have an easy job, especially those who sit in the principal's chair. Yet identifying site needs, establishing priorities, and devoting the bulk of one's time to these priorities enables principals to more effectively take control of their day. It can be hard to deal with what is important instead of what is urgent, but…

Principals' goals of a highly motivated faculty and and effective school are not mutually exclusive. Evidence from an organizational study indicates that adherence to agreed-upon values accompanied by encouragement of individual autonomy promotes high morale among employees. (14 references) (CJH)

Several indirect methods of encouraging change in teaching behaviors are offered to assist supervisors in guiding teachers toward professional autonomy. (DF)

Discusses the current state of Canadian high schools. Examines the goal of competitiveness as a national policy and the debate over the purposes of education. Explores (1) a greater emphasis on basic subjects; (2) the use of performance indicators; (3) the demand for accountability; and (4) dropout rates. Argues that an economic agenda for…

This handbook is intended to serve as an on-campus companion and guide for honors administrators, helping them to define and solidify their positions within their institutions. "Everyone knows" what deans or department heads are: what their responsibilities are, how they fit into the institutional hierarchy, who reports to them and to…

This publication provides findings from two related areas of research for people who work outside the classroom in supporting roles (e.g., principals, service providers, policymakers, and change agents): human motivation in general and teacher motivation to change practice. After discussing the creation of conditions which will motivate growth,…

The first of two articles examines the process of obtaining federal aid in Australia by comparing a successful effort by school libraries and a failure to obtain public library funding. The second explores the potentially negative effects of defending professional rights and status to the extent of alienating funding agencies. (CLB)

Still hard at work, the Holmes Group is forming networks across the nation, framing a common discourse, and pursuing a new vision of teaching through school-university collaboration and professional development. (Author/TE)