This article offers three interrelated arguments for the adoption of a cultural approach to the study of learning. It then presents some early analyses of data from a case study of one learning site, concerned with the assessment of learning in the workplace. These analyses show how the shape of the learning site--for example, the nature of…

The purpose of this study was to provide data on what role organizations for homosexual teachers play in the lives of lesbian, gay and bisexual teachers and to provide these organizations with information on how to strengthen their memberships. Thirteen lesbian and/or gay male teacher organizations assisted by distributing a survey on openness,…

The competing demands of the workplace and the home have intensified over the last 25 years as the nation has experienced dramatic social and economic changes affecting businesses, employees, and families. In 1993, Congress passed the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to provide a national policy that supports families in their efforts to strike…

This study explored faculty views about a new concept, departmental vision. Since the literature presents many different views of what the term "vision" encompasses, this study sought to establish criteria useful in an academic setting. The study was conducted at a large midwestern public research university; data were collected through…

This project identified work environment factors in eight schools where a teacher preparation program placed early field experience students and where the university students reported experiencing positive field placements. The purpose was to determine the impact of certain variables on teachers' perception of the quality of their own professional…

This paper, one in a series about the priorities of the professoriate, explores some creative employment practices which will stimulate campus discussions of faculty employment policies and practices in four areas: (1) alternative career paths, (2) workload and productivity, (3) peer review, and (4) academic freedom and employment security. In…

Research confirms anecdotal impressions of the following causes of high turnover among both home health and nursing home aides: low wages; inadequate benefits; excessive workloads; poor training, supervision, and working conditions; and job-related stress. Public policy initiatives can dramatically alleviate or exacerbate the crisis among…

The Antelope Valley Union High School District's regional plan for career education and lifelong learning represents a model for educational levels/districts cooperation. The plan provides a bridge from education to careers that takes into consideration changes in the economic marketplace. The career development plan includes elementary, middle,…

This study used focused interviews, participant observations, and document review to identify five organizational and personal factors that 40 teachers (general education, special education, and specialists) in a small rural school district reported as affecting their receptivity to change: (1) the degree to which schools are ready for change; (2)…

This monograph examines issues that will shape teacher education programs in the future. Following a foreword by Robert M. McClure, the monograph is organized into three chapters. The first, "Perestroika and Professionalism: The Case for Restructuring Teacher Preparation" (Linda Darling-Hammond), focuses on changes wrought by school…

The reasons that counselors in resident summer camps return to work are explored, taking into account the differences between private and agency camps, and differing attitudes of male and female camp counselors. A random sample of returning counselors at 15 private and 15 agency camps in the Northeast were selected for the study. Six attitudinal…

The 1980s have been a period during which important private experiments with innovations have occurred in employee participation, work redesign, and the introduction of new technologies and new systems of production. It is now time to move beyond the experimental stage. The following four interrelated policy initiatives should guide public efforts…

This book examines in detail the impact of tiered compensation structures on unions, employers, and employees. (Tiered compensation structures are defined as pay systems in which employees who start working or change jobs in a company after a certain date receive a lower rate of pay than employees who were doing the same or similar jobs before…

Successful workplace literacy programs involve unions. Support for education and training has long been a part of organized labor's history. Current initiatives are an expansion of union interest and activity in this area. Many unions have negotiated significant financial resources for workplace education as a part of collective bargaining…

The high national attrition rate among vocational education teachers (50 percent within 6 years) prompted a study to determine trade and industrial teachers' reasons for leaving and to make recommendations to increase teacher retention. Following a literature review of teachers' motivation and reasons for attrition, interviews were conducted with…