Carl D. Glickman

A Comparison of First-Year, Fifth-Year, and Former Teachers on Efficacy, Ego Development, and Problem Solving.

Differences in first-year (N=50), fifth-year (N=49) and former (N=30) teachers on measures of efficacy, ego development, and problem solving were analyzed. The three groups were graduates from the same university who responded to a written survey. ANOVA was used for each variable across all groups, with an alpha level of.05, and the Scheffe multiple range test was used to determine significance between groups. On measures of efficacy and ego development, both first-year and fifth-year teachers scored significantly higher than former teachers, but did not differ from each other. There were no significant differences among the groups on the measure of problem solving.

Informational and Controlling Language in Simulated Supervisory Conferences

Two studies are reported that were designed to determine if teachers and supervisors discriminate among three different types of direct supervisory communication (information only, information with suggestions, and information with directives) in instructional improvement conferences. Thirty teachers in the first study and 133 supervisors in the second study were randomly assigned to three experimental groups according to the Latin Squares design. Each experimental group viewed videotapes that simulated supervisory conferences. Each conference differed according to degree of informational versus controlling language. Subjects’ perceptions of supportiveness, authenticity, loyalty, trust, and productivity were measured after each conference. Data were analyzed using a repeated measures analysis of covariance with a priori orthogonal comparisons. Differences in perceptions toward the three conferences were found for every measure among both teachers and supervisors. The order of preference for both groups was as follows: the conference offering information with suggestions was rated highest, information only was favored next, and information with directives was favored least. Findings are discussed in terms of communication theory along with implications for supervision and future research.

The effects of classroom noise on children: Evidence for sex differences

To clarify the relationship between classroom noise and childrens intellectual performance, 156 first-, third-, and fifth-grade children worked on a matrix task in either a noisy environment (70dbA) or in a quiet environment (40dbA). Childrens performance on the intellectual task increased with age. Moreover, in the environment with classroom noise, boys consistently solved more complex matrix problems than did girls.

Restructuring and Renewal: Capturing the Power of Democracy

Allen and Glickman begin Part 2 of this section of the Handbook by examining restructuring and renewal as strategies of educational change. They draw on their own experience of establishing and working with The League of Professional Schools in order to do so. Schools belonging to this league commit to “a belief in the powers of democracy to guide school restructuring in order to bring about on-going school renewal thatfocussed on students. “ Changing the governance of the school to more shared, democratic forms is regarded as one fundamental way of enacting this belief

School Improvement: The Elusive Faces of Shared Governance.

Shared governance is an elusive pro cess with many pitfalls. Participating schools must first define the process and identify the players and then clar ify and resolve the issues.

Determining One's Beliefs Regarding Teacher Supervision:

Heres a self- administered and self- scored inventory to help administrators assess their own beliefs on teacher supervision and staff development. The authors provide several directions that readers can follow.

Restructuring Policy for America's Schools

Its time to restructure our change strategy, according to this writer, who argues that public education must be given the power to succeed.

The Development and Validation of an Instrument to Assess Problem Identification Skills of Instructional Supervisors.

A free-response measure of problem identification skills entitled the Clinton Assessment of Problem Identification Skills for Instructional Supervisors (CAPIS) is described. The two forms, each with three scenarios, yielded an equivalence reliability estimate of .76. Score-rescore coefficients of .71 and .67 were noted for Forms A and B, respectively, of the CAPIS. In addition, correlations of .42 (Form A) and .54 (Form B) between the CAPIS and the Merrifield-Guilford Seeing Problems test were observed. Significant differences between mean CAPIS scores for individuals experiencing a two-hour problem identification training session and for those in a control group were also noted.