We converted the Teacher Behaviors Checklist (TBC; Buskist, Sikorski, Buckley, & Saville, 2002) to an evaluative instrument to assess teaching by adding specific instructions and a Likert-type scale. Factor analysis of the modified TBC produced 2 subscales: caring and supportive and professional competency and communication skills. Further…

This study examined the effectiveness of the First Step to Success (FSS) early intervention program with four Native-American students, their teachers, and their parents on (a) targeted students' problem behaviors, (b) class-wide student behaviors, and (c) teacher behaviors. Participant teachers and parents were also interviewed to gather their…

The present study sought to compare the effects of training teachers in specific communication skills designed to promote thinking and scaffold learning on teachers' and students' verbal behaviours during cooperative group work. Thirty teachers and 826 children from years 5 to 7 participated in the study. The results show that when teachers are…

This paper investigates the literature pertaining to the professional reading habits of teachers. Particular attention is given to those teachers working with students with special education needs. The value of professional reading is considered along with the quantity of professional reading of teachers from Australia and overseas, the types of…

The study attempted to obtain empirical evidence on the status of teachers and the teaching profession in Nigeria. To undertake this study, 400 post-primary school teachers were randomly drawn from 40 post-primary schools in Midwestern Nigeria. The teacher's status questionnaire was the main instrument used for data collection. Results of the…

Ample evidence suggests that teachers influence their students' behavior; mounting evidence also suggests that students exert influence on their teachers' behavior. This paper outlines the transactional theory of social interactions and discusses the importance of understanding reciprocal relationships between teacher and student behavior. Review…

The use of behavior-based interviewing in the business world to identify the strongest candidates who are best suited to positions may now be coming of age in the world of education. Because middle school environments must provide strong educational experiences for their students, behavior-based interviewing may help schools hire new teachers who…

A report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education on school employees' sexual misconduct with students is drawing fire from national education groups and has attracted only qualified support from the agency itself. The report by sexual-harassment researcher Charol Shakeshaft concludes that such misconduct is "woefully understudied," but…

This report contains results for the Austin Independent School District Staff Climate Surveys conducted in 2004-2005 through 2006-2007.

This paper describes an extended action research project run in a large secondary school over an 18-month period. The work was part of a wider strategy for change within the school. The data presented here describes some of the features of the change process and reflections on its impact. A key aim was to challenge and enable teachers to modify…

The racial, ethnic, linguistic, and economic diversity within urban areas necessitates the creation of scholastic environments that are responsive to the varying academic and social needs of the student population. This qualitative study investigates ways in which teacher and administrator behavior and the school environment contribute to the…

This report presents findings stemming from the first-year evaluation of the Texas Educator Excellence Grant (TEEG) program, one of several statewide performance incentive programs in Texas. In June 2006, Governor Perry and the 79th Texas Legislature created the Governor's Educator Excellence Award Program, one component of which is the TEEG…

The "Student Evaluation of Instruction" (SEOI) was administered to all full-time and part-time faculty. Approximately 91,530 surveys were sent out in 4,980 envelopes; 58,604 surveys were returned to the Office of Institutional Research. The return rate for the paper surveys was 64% including late submissions. Instructors' reports were…

The "Student Evaluation of Instruction" (SEOI) was administered to all full-time and part-time faculty. Approximately 82,806 surveys were sent out in 4,830 envelopes; 52,464 surveys were returned to the Office of Institutional Research. The return rate for the paper surveys was 63% including late submissions. Instructors' reports were…

In a bid to curb violence incurred via the abuse of teacher authority, some educators appear to denounce all forms of imposition. The author of this paper refers to this aversion to imposition and the romantic practices it promotes as "educational niceness". This essay is written to furnish a theoretical justification for educational imposition.…