The study examines the influence of principals' positive leadership and sense of humor on teachers' well-being; it also explores whether teachers' perceptions of their principals' positive leadership, sense of humor, and well-being differed by teachers' gender; and investigates whether the Western scales employed by the study are valid measures of…

The ability to communicate through oral language is an innate human characteristic (Chomsky, 1968; Pinker, 2007) and is a product of the social process (Vygotsky, 1978). Though the language " … in people's heads does not always translate automatically into appropriate words and phrases …" uttered through the mouth (Chafe &…

Purpose of the study is to determine the effects of the schools' humor climates on the perceived stress levels of teachers. The sample of the study, which is a predictive correlational study, is made up of 387 teachers. In data collection, the Humor Climate Scale and the Perceived Stress Scale were used. Consequently, constructive humor climates…

Critical policy analysis examining how powerful actors use educational policies to reproduce unequal social structures presents many challenges. These challenges are amplified by the politics of spectacle, where duplicity comes to dominate how educational policies are conceptualized, presented to the public, and subsequently enacted. The pursuit…

Although Finnish politics relating to the Roma tend to be perceived internationally as fairly successful, several obstacles exist for the Roma in education and the labour market. Training of Roma mediators has been actively promoted in Finland to improve the school performance and equality of Roma pupils. This article, based on ethnographic…

One way to avert negative influences on well-being when confronted with blocked goals is the flexible adjustment of one's goals to the given situation. This study examines developmental differences in flexible goal adjustment (FGA) regarding age and gender in a sample of N = 815 participants (10 to 20 years; M = 13.63, SD = 2.60, 48.5% male).…

Since the election of 1997 New Labour's education policy has been subject to variety of forms of critique--in this journal and others. One of the sources for such critique has been a barrage of letters unleashed for over a decade by Colin Richards in the "Times Educational Supplement". Here are reproduced a self-edited selection of his…

This national survey of 1,201 kindergarten through Grade-12-U.S. teachers focused on three related areas: (1) sources of teacher stress, (2) manifestations of stress, and (3) suggested coping strategies. The survey instrument was adapted from the Teacher Stress Inventory and the Coping Scale for Adults. Results indicated that teachers nationwide…

Guidelines to reduce the preparation time for talks advocating various specialized types of education; otherwise known as 28 tips on how to sell whatever is the latest thing. (Author/MLF)

Humorous observations and suggestions by W. James Popham regarding the current state of school reform in the United States. (PKP)

Humorous recounting of criticism of the schools through the ages. (IRT)

Educators often take themselves a bit too seriously. To remedy the situation, the author, who is a veteran educator and illustrator, offers a little perspective with this collection of lighthearted cartoons. These cartoons can be used as overheads for staff development meetings, for an individual break in a busy day, and perhaps, even for a…

The study compared the ability of 51 visually impaired and 51 sighted children, aged 7 to 15, to comprehend verbal humor presented to them in the form of jokes and nonjokes. It found that visually impaired children seem to comprehend humor as well as do their sighted peers. (Author)

Humorous statement that the ability to write suffocatingly fuzzy prose is really the art of camouflage, and, at times, can be helpful to school administrators. (Author/MLF)