According to National Center of Educational Statistics data, principals perceive that their influence on schoolwide issues has increased slightly (from 75% in 1987-88 to 85% in 1993-94). Teachers perceive their own influence as remaining the same and primarily confined to classrooms. Only 35% of teachers said they had considerable influence in…

Investigates the relationship among principal leadership power; teacher empowerment; teacher compliance; and conflict within self, with peers, and with the principal, based on a survey of 250 teachers. Factor analysis and regression analysis revealed a strong association for expert power and referent power with each conflict dimension and teacher…

The superintendent, a central-office supervisor, the principal, and an external consultant began discussions to address the specific needs of an elementary school in Scottsboro, Alabama. The process involved completing a pre-assessment and feasibility study, developing and introducing a staff-development change model, creating an action plan,…

Surveyed teachers in traditional public and charter schools in Colorado and Michigan to examine differences in their perceptions of empowerment (specifically, decision making and autonomy). Results found no significant differences between the groups in perceptions of autonomy. Teachers in traditional schools believed they had more opportunities to…

Discusses the importance of empowerment for early childhood teachers. Maintains that empowering early childhood teachers increases motivation, allows for an emergent curriculum, and bridges home and school. Notes that empowering teachers to manage their own classrooms involves extensive on-site training and support but that as teachers grow in…

Outlines findings from study funded by the National College for School Leadership that explored effective leadership in a group of secondary schools in challenging circumstances. Highlights the key characteristics and features of leadership approaches adopted, and argues that the heads in the study operated a shared or distributed model of…

Analyzed the impact of autonomy and collegiality on elementary teachers' professional development. Data from interviews, questionnaires, document analyses, and observations indicated that autonomy and collegiality appeared in various forms in relationships among the teachers, with certain forms of autonomy and collegiality, and certain…

To witness greater success with technology, educators should begin their planning with a set of assumptions that consider staff fears and frustrations. Staff's personal needs include control, creativity, caring, challenge, and commitment. Professional needs include empowerment, time, assistance, leadership, communication, and opportunity. (MLH)

Presents results from two research studies, one using focus groups and the other using surveys, that explored the process and results of educating inservice art teachers in the Artistically Talented Program at Indiana University to become empowered and take on leadership roles. Describes the experience of empowering the teachers to develop their…

Mentoring is a process in which one person, usually of superior rank and outstanding achievement, guides the development of an entry-level individual. Colleges and universities historically have had new faculty orientation programs and methods to support new faculty matriculation. Mentorship programs, if well developed, can integrate new faculty…

After reviewing the literature on the power of collaborative community in schools, the authors describe interview data collected from educators involved in collaborative change projects related to literacy. First, the authors interviewed a teacher from a middle school team that had changed their literacy instruction toward a more inclusive and…

The article describes a longitudinal professional development project in rural Florida (USA) schools that supports the efforts of inservice teachers to make pedagogical transitions from total reliance on prepackaged commercial programmes to making informed decisions about curriculum and pedagogy autonomously. It demonstrates that in order to…

This study investigates an assumption used to legitimate charter school legislation, namely that such schools will reduce regulatory constraint burdening schools and school personnel. Reformers and policymakers have argued that charter schools will increase teacher empowerment and enable teachers to better carry out their education functions.…

Meeting the needs specified by accountability measures under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has provided the importance for schools to create innovative systems for curricular management. To meet adequate yearly progress, schools must be able to address standards and assessment changes in an effective manner. This case study chronicles one…

Bernstein's work on educational transmission provides a discourse for understanding classroom practice which can integrate elements as diverse as content and interaction, to enable a critical evaluation of how pedagogic transformation occurs. This article describes an intervention in an English classroom in rural KwaZulu-Natal in which the shift…