This study used existing databases to analyze, from a national perspective, the turnover of special education teachers (SETs) at the district level due to district migration, teaching field transfer, and exit attrition. The study also investigated district retention of SETs as a function of district location and teacher experience. The study used…

Drawing on the experience of public schools in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this document details a planning model and process of middle level reorganization. Following an examination of the impetus for change and how recent changes in the nation's economy, demographics, and family structure have shaped the context for educational change, collaborative…

A review and a study of specific situations or movements show conditions that create stress for and between administrators and teachers. Today's emphasis on teacher accountability has created stress for teachers, chiefly because they feel they are being held responsible for things over which they have no control. The administrator can be of great…

In the continuing effort to raise the academic performance of public schools, improving teacher retention could be an important strategy for California. Keeping new teachers in the classroom could improve academic performance, because experienced teachers are, on average, more effective at raising student test scores. Better retention of teachers…

The author puts forward a whole range of new approaches to coping with the teacher surplus and using vacant college classrooms that would benefit both colleges of education and school boards. (Editor)

Presents guidance for child care administrators when customers, parents, children, or employees depart. Argues that a positive final impression is achieved by providing closure, maintaining service levels, and creating a plan for withdrawal. Provides guidance for helping children say good-bye, obtaining referrals from former customers, and…

Reflects on the findings of a survey (reported in an earlier article in this issue) of 93 teachers who left their special education teaching positions. How the data was collected is discussed as well as the factors for leaving, including lack of administrative support, significant student discipline problems, high case load, excessive paperwork,…

This paper examines the tenure of teachers in the South Western, North Western, and Sunshine Coast regions of Australia. These regions provide contrasts of isolation, climate, and apparent attractiveness. Research indicates that rapid teacher turnover in rural areas is a significant concern. Data collected since 1975 suggest that the average days…

Declining enrollment and financial setbacks faced by California community colleges have necessitated discontinuing programs and terminating the services of experienced, tenured, certified personnel. Laws and policies in California, Connecticut, and at Miami-Dade (Florida) related to reduction in force (RIF) are discussed in terms of termination…

Eight issues of grievance arbitration in education were chosen for detailed examination in this paper: procedure, budgets, discrimination, leave, extra duty, evaluation, discipline, and assignments and transfers. In addition, the authors identified four types of grievants, including individuals, class or group litigants, school districts, and…

Part of the crisis in higher education is due to the age and tenure distribution of the faculty and their escalating future salary costs. Universities must find ways to gain financial and academic flexibility. Career alternatives that can provide inducements for faculty to leave the university are described. (Author/MLW)

In the positive theory of public bureaucracy, the prevailing view is that the structure of public agencies is designed from the top down by political superiors. Faced with bureaucrats who may disagree with them on policy and who are advantaged by private information, superiors choose rules and procedures to try to ensure that agencies do what they…

Teachers in urban schools, on gaining seniority, frequently leave these culturally diverse and complex schools, only to be replaced by new teachers who are less prepared. This exploratory study examined the staffing patterns of elementary schools from 1991-1992 to 1993-1994 in the San Diego City School District (California), focusing on the policy…

Eighteen tables on characteristics of movers, leavers, and stayers present data from the 1988-89 Teacher Followup Survey (TFS), a follow-up of a sample of public school (PUBS) and private school (PVTS) teachers who responded to the Teacher Survey component of the 1987-88 Schools and Staffing Survey of the National Center for Education Statistics.…

The awareness of the effects of stress on school personnel and its effects on student achievement led to the formation of a committee to examine the problem and establish some objectives. A copy of the questionnaire submitted to the personnel of the Worchester, Massachusetts, Public Schools is presented. Job related factors were listed with…