Recounts the recent debate over family values, civic culture, and cinematic violence and considers the implications for educators. Uses this national debate as a case study to investigate efforts to exercise control over and limit the democratization of culture. Argues for an expanded notion of civic culture. (MJP)

Maintains that neither postmodernism nor cultural pluralism are antithetical to biblical texts. Locates postmodernist open-ended thinking in many of the enigmatic proverbs and other wisdom texts. Reveals similarities, and at times historical connections, between much of the Bible and various Mediterranean cultures. (MJP)

In this study indicators associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in a nationwide representative sample (N = 3,184) of Danes aged 16-35 years were examined. The study was cross-sectional and had three aims: (1) to draw a profile of persons with and without suicidal tendency established on a combined quartered variable on current…

Disasters can be defined as catastrophic events that challenge the normal range of human coping ability. The technological/human-caused disaster, a classification of interest in this article, is attributable to human error or misjudgment. Lower socioeconomic status and race intersect in the heightened risk for technological/human-caused disasters…

Findings from a study that described the responsibilities and characteristics of Kentucky school district instructional supervisors are presented in this paper. Instructional supervisors are those district personnel who are responsible for the professional development of teachers. Questionnaires mailed to 184 Kentucky instructional supervisors…

This study at Edinboro University (Pennsylvania) examined the relationship between faculty members' perceived level of physical fitness and their job satisfaction and stress levels. A 33-item questionnaire was adapted from existing instruments: the retirement descriptive index; the job descriptive index; and the lifestyle questionnaire. The…

Two challenges that face educators--developing interactive professionalism in the schools, and facilitating teachers and principals as change agents--are examined in this book. Chapter 1 examines the following problem areas in educational change: overload; isolation; "groupthink"; untapped competence; narrow roles; and failed reform. A…

An overview of stress management techniques is offered in this paper. Special focus is on the characteristics, causes, and effects of stress; potential sufferers; six reduction strategies; and stress and the principalship. A conclusion is that stress is real; although complete elimination is unlikely, it can be alleviated through effective…

Despite the recognized importance of school-level leadership, little attention has been given to principals' influence over teachers' daily work lives. This study tries to identify what principals do, through their actions and decisions, to affect teachers' working conditions. Since teacher engagement in their work affects student learning, the…

The relationship between elementary principals' perceived job stress and sex role is examined. Questionnaires mailed to a random stratified sample of 200 elementary principals in Washington state (50 females, 150 males) yielded 172 useable returns, an 86 percent response rate. Two measurement instruments were used: the Bem Sex Role Inventory…

The collection contains six papers of studies which investigated the social ecology of the workplace and associated implications for friendship formations between adults with and without mental retardation. The papers' authors, Janis Chadsey-Rusch, Frank Rusch, Patricia Gonzalez, Jeffrey Tines, Kathleen Minch, and Carolyn Hughes, observed…

Although researchers have investigated quality and cost of residential care, little is known about the people who own and manage residential care facilities. In an attempt to find out more about these managers, members of the National Association of Residential Care Facilities (NARCF) were surveyed. Members (N=175) responded to questionnaires…

Stress and burnout are common in the caregiving professions. Stress negatively affects both the caregivers and patients. In order to help caregivers deal with stress effectively and to improve the care in residential care facilities, it is essential to learn more about the particular stressors that managers of such facilities experience. In this…

To improve the quality of education, Duluth Public Schools (Minnesota) implemented a participative management program using a Quality of Work Life process developed by a diversified labor management committee. The process, which recognizes the skills and creativity of all staff, solves everyday problems while building greater staff commitment to…

Conducted two surveys of personnel executives to demonstrate the relationships between their job activities and job satisfaction and their vocational interests and personalities. The personality scales of affiliation, nurturance, exhibition, desirability and particularly dominance, defined personnel managers most strongly. The higher the autonomy…