Ways in which humor is used as an administrative technique are explored in this paper, with a focus on its impact on school culture. Case study methodology is based on interviews with two principals and five staff members at a Tennessee high school. Following a review of transcript excerpts, the principal's use of humor is viewed through four…

A profile of Washington is presented, which examines trends in the state's economy, environment, population, and educational system. A contradiction exists between the state's beautiful scenery and well-educated population and its high crime and suicide rates. The state is characterized by a highly educated work force, a less diversified economy,…

Organizational cultures are systems of publicly and collectively accepted meanings, beliefs, values, and assumptions that a staff uses to guide its actions and interpret its surroundings. In an effort to suggest concrete ways a principal can change or maintain a culture, three important elements of a school culture are discussed: content, symbols,…

Scientists and educators examined long-term national and world trends related to the web of interrelationships involved in climate, food production, population, land use, and environmental quality. Current information and projections for the next quarter century were discussed. In reviewing scientific findings, it was noted that global weather…

Equable climates with mild winters and summers are more likely to maintain snow or ice cover in high latitudes than extreme climates having colder winters and hotter summers. A simplified version of the Milankovitch cycles can be used to develop a model instructors can use in their classes to illustrate the orbital variations producing either…

Abstracts and four papers from the 1983 Association for Institutional Research (AIR) Forum on integrating human resources and technology are presented. AIR membership and organizational information are also provided. Paper titles and authors are as follows: "It Ain't All Bad" (Dean F. Berkley); "Technological Innovation and…

An approach to classifying the subject matter of higher education is discussed. It is suggested that higher education is primarily a behavioral phenomenon, although it contains nonbehavioral elements, and it should be studied by other disciplines in addition to the behavioral sciences. To study higher education is to study behavioral patterns such…

As one aspect of a study of individual and organizational conditions contributing to faculty vitality, the career socialization and current career attitudes of three faculty generations were compared. These generational comparisons were done separately for two groups of tenured university faculty members: (1) a representative group drawn from the…

Precipitation data for Macomb (Illinois) for the period 1912-1981 were the bases for developing classroom exercises that offered college students experience in collecting such data. After students collected the data, they reduced them to manageable proportions, and then examined average long-term relations which may have emerged among yearly,…

This paper presents an overview of systems theory as an introduction to the applications possible to a model of burnout. Literature dealing with burnout is reviewed and shown to be in an early, descriptive stage, with basic concepts largely unchallenged. Meier's (1982) expanded model of burnout, based on current cognitive-behavioral and vocational…

Recent trends in college costs and reasons why college costs have been increasing are considered. Comparative data are presented on recent rates of growth among average college charges, faculty salaries, the Higher Education Price Index (HEPI), and the Consumer Price Index (CPI). It is shown that from 1977 through 1982, average total tuition,…

A sample of faculty and administrators at a large university were divided into three groups (administrators, faculty favoring collective negotiation, and faculty not favoring it). A comparison indicated that faculty with favorable attitudes toward collective negotiation differed significantly from others in their perceptions of the importance the…

A report of an attempt to institute alternative systems of communication in a reading center in order to restructure and personalize student- teacher and staff-staff relationships. The objectives, rationale, results, and procedures involved in the design and operation of the support system are described, along with suggestions for future research.…

The Piscataway (New Jersey) high school uses recessed windows and an integrated heat recovery system, made possible by its modular design, to conserve energy. Available from: New Jersey School Boards Association, P.O. Box 909, Trenton, New Jersey 08605. (Author/MLF)

This self-assessment guide pinpoints critical elements which a Los Angeles, California, senior high school principal must consider when evaluating how well his or her school is achieving a productive and positive educational environment. The guide is organized into the following parts: (1) a list of the elements critical to an effective senior…