Purpose: This article informs school leaders and staffs about existing research findings on the use of data-driven decision-making in creating class rosters. Given that teachers are the most important school-based educational resource, decisions regarding the assignment of students to particular classes and teachers are highly impactful for…

Better teacher evaluation should lead to better instruction and improved outcomes for students, but more accurate classification of teachers requires better information than is now available. Because existing measures of performance are incomplete and imperfect, measured performance does not always reflect true performance. Teachers who are truly…

This study used phenomenological methodology to explore how 4 Deaf employees described quality of camaraderie of participation in work-related tasks and relationships. Three invariant themes echoed through the data. The first theme was hitting the ceiling quickly and choosing to stay; employees remained in the secondary job market for years…

Teacher evaluation has emerged as a major focus for reform at the highest levels of education policymaking, and for good reason. Most evaluations are based on scant evidence of actual effectiveness, produce inflated ratings, and provide teachers with little useful feedback. This paper offers policymakers and practitioners important "lessons…

Describes a unique performance appraisal method known as "behaviorally anchored rating scales" (BARS) which is especially useful for managers of instructional developers. Steps and procedures used to collaboratively construct BARS for a particular position are discussed, and factors to consider when planning any appraisal system are…

Good communication skills distinguish the poor manager from the effective manager. Effective communication skills on the part of managers can determine the effort and productivity of employees. (Author/MLF)

Discusses how teachers' values influence their feelings about students, themselves, and other teachers and cause the development of stress. Suggests ways to overcome stress. (CT)

Describes a National Education Association workshop designed to help teachers manage day-to-day stress and stay in teaching. The program has four objectives: to identify sources of stress; to determine present stress level; to explore ways to manage stress; and to explore ways to minimize distress. (CT)

Principal performance can improve if daily 15-second visits to every classroom are made a high priority. Tips include determining teacher attitudes and kinds of teacher-student interactions, looking at the classroom environment, and listening to between-classes student conversations. (KS)

Presents four steps to follow in the process of evaluating incompetent teachers that will induce them to resign. (MD)

Provides guidelines for high school editors to help improve their paper's operation, image, and content, including devising a style manual and covering school board, faculty, parent, and administration activities. (HTH)

This Food Service Training Manual offers 11 lessons and 3 tests on personnel management. Lesson 1 introduces the subject and discusses five functions--from planning through evaluating--of the management process. Lesson 2 covers management's responsibilities and approaches and the pitfalls of decision-making. Verbal and nonverbal communication in…

Factor analysis of 556 responses to survey of mental health workers distinguished four factors involved in workers' attitudes about their performance ratings: objective validity, negative emotional response, supervisory direction, and incentives. Results showed that state workers did not view their present performance ratings, based on worker…

Provides basic guidelines for supervisors to assess the evaluative competence of staff and offers specific suggestions about what questions to ask and how to explore staff's motivations and methods of self-assessment. (BH)

Development and validation of a statement of professional competencies for practicing pharmacists in British Columbia (Canada) are described. The resulting 12 weighted general competency statements were designed to serve as a blueprint for constructing and validating instruments to assess practicing pharmacists' continuing competence. (Author/MSE)