As part of an alternative practicum, two preservice teachers in Ontario visited 12 interdisciplinary outdoor programs with an environmental focus. The positive learning environments and experiential nature of these secondary programs produced positive outcomes for students and educators. However, program isolation and teacher burn-out were…

Examines experiences of part-time teachers and the meanings they attribute to them. Draws on data from contact with university sociology departments (n=12). Concludes that academic sociologists should take a moral and practical interest in part-time teachers because they are implicated in the reproduction of sociology and sociologists. Provides…

Alternative routes to teacher preparation are clearly here to stay. A growing research literature on non-traditional pathways suggests the complexity of the task ahead. This report offers new teachers the opportunity to tell their own stories in their own words. In "Alternative Certification and Alternative Pathways: A Personal Take on a Core…

This paper examines the ways in which intent, persistence, mobility, aspirations, and attitudes influence the number of women in educational administration. To explore these issues, two surveys were conducted. The first survey was distributed to students taking classes at either the specialist or master's degree level at a state university. A…

Using a grounded-theory approach based on interviews with 39 secondary headteachers in the United Kingdom, identifies and analyzes various satisfiers and dissatisfiers experienced by headteachers, based on their number of years on the job. Headteachers experience an initial high of satisfaction that appears to dip before rising again. Principals…

Outlines the objectives and the rationale of a pilot intervention program in Sydney, Australia, that responds to teacher burnout. Addresses the causes of burnout and implements strategies to assist in the reduction and ultimate prevention of burnout using invitational theory as a foundation to create a better school climate. (RJM)

To attract and retain high-quality teachers, the education system must address science teachers' sense of professional isolation, administrators' lack of receptivity to thoughtful teachers' ideas, egalitarian salary compensation schemes, and lack of professional recognition. An outstanding chemistry teacher-turned-pharmaceutical saleswoman is…

New superintendents of three urban school districts turned to a group of "critical friends" from other school districts and education agencies to conduct formal evaluations of their school systems. Leaders in private industry have long relied on outside perspectives. The process can dispel professional isolation. (MLH)

Beginning teachers are often filled with self-doubt and questions regarding school culture and principals' expectations. This book helps one answer teachers' questions and gain strategies to prevent the isolation that many new instructors experience. Updated to meet the challenges facing new teachers today, this revision of the bestseller helps…

Globalization and privatization have begun to destabilize the patterns of university professional work and campus community. African American Women Administrators battle the unique challenges of racial and gender discrimination as well as the intersection of these issues. AAWAs face feelings of isolation and lack of trust, and struggles over power…

The policies and practices of small college counseling centers have been neglected in the literature at a time when campus mental health services are under scrutiny. A national sample of 181 small campus counseling center directors responded to the Iowa Counseling Center Survey-Revised. Their responses were compared with information about large…

A qualitative case study design was used to investigate the extent that special education program serves the student or serves the organization. If special education serves the student, then a researcher should be able to identify resulting agency and emancipation among the students. However, if special education is serving the organization, then…

This paper presents a model of graduate education for advanced teachers and aspiring school administrators that establishes and fosters the foundations for the development of the professional community in schools. Graduate students enrolled in the first distance-education cohort of a new graduate-degree program became cognizant of the need and…

Discusses the lecturer's role as facilitator in a higher education online unit using computer mediated communication that was designed for science and mathematics teachers who were geographically and socially isolated. The goal was to create a networked community of learners that encouraged peer learning and focused on reflective thinking, based…

Reports on a pilot investigation into the perceptions of graduate teachers (n=9) of their science teaching during their first 18 months as educators. Emergent themes relate to the teachers' perceived self-confidence in teaching science, and to school influences such as collegial support, resources, and the perceived importance of science in the…