Search

With the "Military Teens On The Move" (MTOM) Web site, the Office of Family Policy has implemented an innovative approach to providing relocation support for military families and children via the Internet. This paper briefly describes the design team's efforts to design, develop, and implement MTOM. The first section of the paper describes the process and results of an assessment of military youth needs and available resources. The second section describes MTOM's design, including its goals and objectives, structure, and content. The third section describes the current pilot test of the Web site, and the fourth section identifies "next steps" in implementing the Web site across the Department of Defense. The paper notes that by connecting military youth to a wide range of information resources already existing on the World Wide Web and to new resources tailored to meet the unique needs of military teens facing relocation, MTOM intends to help teens play a more proactive role in the relocation process, reconnect quickly to their new communities and positive peer groups, and develop and maintain a positive relationship with their parents and families. (Author/LPP)

Much research has examined the career success of individuals participating in mentoring and administrator-preparation programs. This paper presents findings of a study that explored the experiences of 33 people who participated in an indistrict mentoring program for teachers aspiring to administrative positions. The purpose was to identify patterns that distinguished participants who became administrators from those who did not. Findings show that those who became administrators and those who did not perceived the program's function and opportunities differently. Participants who became administrators perceived signals from the school district and used them to understand the process of upward mobility. The career paths of aspirants who had mentors were different than the paths of those not mentored. Seven of the nine females who obtained a position had mentors. (Contains 2 tables and 71 references.) (LMI)

In education, women are outnumbered by men four to one at the administrative level. This paper presents findings of a study that sought to determine the association between advanced degrees in educational administration and the careers of those holding such degrees. Data were obtained from questionnaires that were mailed to a total of 210 former educational administration graduates who received degrees from a midwestern research university during 1985-90. The sample included 122 graduates at the master's level, 56 at the advanced certificate level, and 32 at the doctoral level. A total of 170 responses were received, an 83 percent response rate. Findings demonstrate an increase in the number of women pursuing administrative careers and greater involvement of women in educational administration preparatory programs. Despite their academic credentials, however, they struggle to achieve administrative positions, particularly those of superintendent, associate/assistant superintendent, and secondary school principal. More so than for men, graduate work in educational administration is essential for the advancement of women in school leadership. It is recommended that universities and other preparatory institutions: (1) design and offer graduate programs that reflect the needs of women and minority leaders; (2) intensify recruitment efforts of women and minorities into such programs; (3) strengthen or establish a mentor system; and (4) provide job enrichment experiences for women. Additionally, women need to develop their own support networks. Two figures are included. (LMI)

This paper presents findings of a study that examined the ways in which principals' succession practices change as they gain greater experience with entry into different school settings. "Succession" refers to principal transfers to new schools. Data were collected from interviews conducted with five secondary school principals and some of their staffs in two Canadian school districts. The principals were grouped into three categories according to individual career stage--new, midcareer, and senior. Senge's (1990) notion of "creative tension" is used to frame the experience of principals, suggesting that as individuals gain experience, current reality becomes more important and that creative tension (the gap between current reality and vision) eases. Findings indicate that as principals gained experience, they took less extensive risks than those taken by new principals and became better informed by previous practice. The senior principal retreated from risk taking and disengaged himself from innovation, leaving the role of visionary to a vice-principal. A conclusion is that experience with succession may influence the principal's desire to act as an impetus for change and as the developer of creative tension. Two figures are included. (LMI)

During the period 1990-1991, a study was conducted of 13 deans and directors of continuing education who were in the first 3 years of their new positions. This group of newer deans and directors included some who were promoted to the position for the first time as well as those who had transferred from one deanship/directorship to another. The study identified factors that led to "easier" and "harder" transitions to the dean's or director's position and also how aspects of the job of leading a continuing education unit appear to change over time. The main determining factors for transitions seemed to be a familiarity with and understanding of the institution, experience in the director's role, and the value placed on continuing education at that institution. Directors having an"easier" transition had knowledge of the institutions, experience in the director's role, and were working in institutions in which continuing education was respected. The "outsiders," deans who were brought in from other institutions, were more experienced, had a broader sense of strategy, greater self-confidence, a stronger commitment to continuing education, and higher perceptions of support from the instituion than those who had been promoted. The paper recommends follow-up research at a later date to see if the "newness" advantage of the "outsiders" had worn off after 3 years. (11 references) (Author/KC)

The profession of high performance sports coaching is a complex process focused on performance improvement with the goal of producing international sporting success. Rising demand for top-level coaches has been matched with the increasing amount of resources allocated to producing world-class performances. This includes creating and sustaining a culture of learning and competition. For a foreign coach, the culture of an adopted country can differ dramatically from that in their homeland. This discussion explores the challenges and opportunities an expatriate coach may experience in an effort to succeed in an adopted nation at the highest level of competition. [For the full proceedings, see ED581791.]

A followup study collected employment data from masters and post-masters degree holders from the Department of Instructional Systems, Leadership, and Workforce Development, Mississippi State University, between 1996-2000. Data from 123 questionnaires were analyzed using percentages, means, correlation statistics, analysis of variance, and multivariate analysis. Findings revealed the majority of respondents had full-time jobs; they had positive attitudes toward their jobs; 65 percent of women and 60.9 percent of men were underemployed relative to their assigned responsibilities; more men enjoyed employment benefits; level of income satisfaction differed significantly between male and female respondents; older respondents aged 52-61 were more satisfied with their jobs and income; respondents had favorable perceptions of their academic programs and agreed they were relevant to their present jobs; and multivariate analysis showed female students who earned masters degrees were more satisfied with their academic programs and income than males who earned masters and post-masters degrees. Implications were that finding a job near home was very important, so graduates should be encouraged to broaden the geographical area in which they seek employment to find jobs that match their skills and avoid skill under-utilization and that they should be encouraged to carry out self- assessment and conduct job inventories to select jobs that use their skills fully. (Contains 17 references.)(YLB)

In regional, rural, and remote areas of Australia, geographic and professional isolation take their toll on professionals, particularly in the first 5 years of practice. The attraction and retention of human service professionals and paraprofessionals in regional Australia is a significant problem affecting the sustainability and social cohesion of rural communities. This paper reviews the literature on induction of professionals in isolated situations, particularly in the health and education fields, and proposes methods of support based on the Internet. Web sites can be designed to offer rural professionals a range of supportive elements, such as a discussion board to link isolated professionals with peers and mentors, contact information for professional and community organizations and help groups, videos and pictures of experts demonstrating methods or procedures, links to online publications and databases, links to conference Web sites, documents relevant to the profession, critical resources to support daily activities, and frequently-asked questions. An example of such a site that would be appropriate for neophyte teachers is entitled "Mathematics Education on the Web." The site provides lesson plans, communication capabilities, exemplary teaching videos, and links to useful resources. (Contains 21 references.) (SV)

Introduced in 1971, the French "Continuing Vocational Training (CVT)" system was designed to promote workers'"socio-professional promotion." The contribution of its induced mobility to the fulfillment of this objective has always been considered as one of its key performance indicators. Outcomes of the CVT over the last 3 decades were examined, using the French National Board for Statistics' successive surveys on Vocational Training and Qualifications. The results confirm the general tendency of an increasing horizontal mobility in the workforce at the expense of a declining promotional mobility (known for its high link with socio-professional promotion). Various groups of employees were identified, from those needing structure to autonomous types dedicated mostly to their own careers. With the old industrial-model hierarchical structures disappearing and being replaced with flat organizations, fewer employees were dedicated to their employers and fewer were able to move into higher socio-professional employment categories. The second section of this paper examines the concomitant change in the dynamics of vocational identity formation processes affecting the performance of the CVT system during the same period. (Contains 27 references.) (KC)

The barriers to upward mobility faced by female administrators working in American and International Overseas Schools and how these women perceived selected barriers were studied. The sample consisted of 67 women, mainly principals, directors, or superintendents, in administrative positions in International Schools in Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. These women were attending the 1997 Annual Meeting of the Association for the Advancement of International Education in Atlanta (Georgia). The 67 respondents represent 30% of the population of female administrators in the International Schools. These respondents identified professional development and training needs to help them overcome barriers such as the lack of a network of contacts or the fear of seeming unfeminine in confronting conflict assertively. Respondents were agreed on the importance of mentors for women. The responses also stressed the importance of a strong self-concept in resisting oppression. Respondents perceived that women did not bring psychological turmoil to the job. Geographic location did not appear to have a significant influence on the participants' perceptions of barriers to upward mobility. However, respondents employed in Asia agreed more strongly with the statement that the greatest barrier for women is role prejudice than did respondents from other parts of the world. Recommendations for improving the upward mobility of women center on a structured mentoring component, programs aimed at developing on-the-job training, and providing opportunities for female administrators to meet to discuss issues. (Contains 51 references.) (SLD)

The purpose of this research was to relate perceptions of occupational discrimination to the actual occupational opportunity structure in American society. The latter refers to the relative openness of various occupations to individuals possessing certain characteristics that are, in fact, differentially distributed among occupations. Both cohorts of students completed questionnaires that included 2 scales of 21 occupations seeking ratings of occupational discrimination against women and African Americans. The sample was comprised of 128 men and 213 women, a part of an entering class at a large state university in the northeast (the same university but another campus was used in a 1969 study). Seventy-four percent of the students were non-Latino whites. It was concluded that: (1) correspondence between the perceived and actual opportunity structure has not changed over time; each of the race-sex groups' ratings were significantly related to the census data; and (2) the relative accuracy of the four race-sex groups has changed somewhat. White females' ratings, which yielded the lowest correlations with the census data in the earlier cohort, improved the most. These conclusions suggest that the racial and gender structure of high status occupations has an accurate representation in the perception of these two cohorts of students, and that there has been only modest change in accuracy over time. (JBJ)

A study was conducted of the relatively small group of community college presidents who have been in their current position for 10 years or longer. The study focused on the fit of the president to the institution, the presidents' vision, the planning process, and style issues such as leadership, delegation, consensus building, and decision making. Study findings, based on profiles developed of specific college presidents who have successfully lead their institutions for a long period, included the following: (1) during the presidential selection process, the search committee and the board of trustees had very specific ideas of what they wanted in a president, and afterwards showed a great commitment to helping the president succeed; (2) the long-term presidents tended to have a vision of their institution based on deep knowledge of its traditions and dreams, and a sense of what it can accomplish; (3) the presidents were constantly promoting new ways to better achieve the mission of the institution and often involved in long-term or strategic planning; (4) the presidents stressed how much responsibility they delegated for day-to-day activities and took pride in others' accomplishments; (5) the presidents were innovative and not bound to the status quo; (6) the presidents possessed an entrepreneurial spirit and encouraged it in others; (7) the presidents worked closely with board chairs; and (8) decisions were made at the appropriate level. (AC)

The relationship between education and the economy is explained by opposing theories--functionalism and conflict. A way of assessing functionalism and conflict theory is to see if increasing educational attainment increases social equality. Higher educational attainment has occurred but has not led to an equal distribution of income. The extent of overeducation, workers with education in excess of job requirements, is a means of evaluating whether occupations are being upgraded at the same rate as educational attainment. Data from a national sample survey conducted in 1984, 1985, and 1986 by the National Opinion Research Center were compared to a Burris (1983) study using similar data from the years 1977-78. Overeducated workers showed a 3.5 percent increase over the years, but greater changes were in worker demographics. Workers with college degrees showed the greatest increase with 20 percent more women, blacks, workers from middle-class backgrounds, and workers 35 years of age and under being overeducated in 1984-86 than in 1977-78. Job satisfaction was examined for overeducation effects. Overeducation was a factor in job satisfaction with the slightly overeducated reporting the least job satisfaction. The findings of the study support the hypothesis that, although more people are acquiring higher levels of education, they are not in jobs comparable to their education. Conflict theorists say this is because of structural inequality in society. (47 references) (KC)

Life history interviews with four women holding doctorates in educational administration are presented in this paper, which examines how chances and choice affect women administrators' career decisions. A second focus is on how organizational structure in educational organizations can enhance career opportunities for women educators. Three anecdotes are presented to illustrate the relationships among chance, choice, and opportunities in the careers of particular women in particular organizational contexts. The narratives are categorized according to three themes--unexpected openings, widening horizons, and chance remarks. The stories suggest that women's opportunities can be expanded through the modification of existing structures. A review of current policy initiatives in Canada found that opportunity for females could be engendered through: special assignments; rewarding mentoring functions; redefinition of the concepts of career and success; and affirmative action programs. A recommendation is made to foster environments where chance occurrences can be transformed into opportunities. (29 references) (LMI)

The relationship between assistant principals' orientation process and career mobility is examined in this qualitative study, based on the assumption that the assistant principalship is a testing and an opportunity position for both the candidate and the organization. Methodology involved formal and informal interviews with 20 secondary school assistant principals and their colleagues, direct observation, and document analysis. Factors for career mobility were identified; these include school and district norms, relationships with colleagues, career timing and planning, degree of risk-taking ability, and personal drive. The typology provides a framework for viewing the career orientation of assistant principals and the factors influencing their careers and also identifies four emerging themes: organizational influence, site level, the principal, and personal responses. A recommendation is made for using the typology as a basis for structuring recruitment, training, selection, support, and organizational assessment practices. Two tables and one figure are included. (38 references) (LMI)

The present study investigated factors influencing the decision of employees, who, faced with a facility relocation, either relocated to a new location or lost their current jobs. A large chemical company decided to close a research and development laboratory located in New England and to transfer employees to a laboratory located in the southwest. As such, this study investigated a facility relocation which led to a lateral transfer with relocation. Questionnaires were mailed to 81 employees after they made the decision, with 66 employees (81%) returning useable questionnaires; 47 had rejected the transfer offer. Results indicated that community tenure, perceptions of new job, and the perceived inconvenience of moving were important influences on the relocation decision. In addition employees with non-working spouses, more positive perceptions on the new location, and greater job involvement were more likely to relocate. Contrary to expectations, neither employee demographics nor the number of children was related to the decision. The study had certain limitations: data were collected after employees had made the relocation decision; the small sample size limits the power to detect true relationships; and the subjects were highly educated professionals. Nonetheless, the study provides further insight into factors that influence relocation decisions. (ABL)

The purpose of this study is to shift the focus of research away from problems faced by administrators making reduction in force or reassignment/rank reduction policies to a consideration of the experiences of those affected by such policies. Following descriptions of the study's open-ended ethnographic interviewing technique, the criteria for selecting interviewees, and the means of data analysis, the context and demographics of an urban, midwestern school system are presented. The latter section includes information on declining enrollment and reduction in force, the racial and gender composition of the staff reduction pool (1981-1984), biographical sketches of the seven teachers interviewed, and a description of the middle school setting providing the backdrop for all the interviews. The following section on the study's findings makes up the bulk of the paper and explores interview responses on five themes that emerged as consistent areas of concern for all interviewees: (1) career building process, (2) interim perspective after being reassigned, (3) problems encountered by reassigned teachers, (4) coping strategies, and (5) perceived benefits of nonclassroom experience. The paper concludes with a synthesis of interview responses on each of these five themes. (JBM)

Library environments and the methods of providing services to library patrons are drastically changing with the availability of new technologies. Online public access catalogs are replacing card catalogs, CD-ROM databases have encroached upon the domain of their paper counterparts, and newspapers, encyclopedias, and dictionaries are also available in automated formats. Consequently, library roles have been affected as well. For example, technical services librarians are becoming the human interface to bring technology to the patron. In this paper, a technical services librarian shares her personal experiences as she ventured into the world of public services, otherwise known as the "patron zone." The librarian identifies the challenges she encountered during her career transition as well as the technical skills that she brought to the reference desk, the bibliographic instruction classroom, and the OPAC (online public access catalog) training session. (Author/MAB)

Using national data, the present study first investigated interstate college migration. Unlike existing studies of interstate college migration, this study also tracked students to college graduation to explore their post-graduation migration, such as leaving to other states after graduating from in-state institutions and returning to home states after graduating from out-of-state institutions. While a single equation approach has been widely used in migration research, this study used multi-level logistic regression that is rather new in the area of institutional research. In addition to states' economic conditions, certain institutional characteristics were found to influence differently depending of types of migration. States by Region are appended. (Contains 5 tables.)

Using national data, this study examined out-migration behavior of college graduates who attended in-state institutions in the United States. Unlike previous studies on the issue of student migration, in which researchers used a single equation approach, the present study employed a multi-level technique to assess effects of factors from individual, institutional, and state levels on post-graduation migration. The study findings suggest that grant recipients, students who applied for multiple institutions, and college graduates from highly selective institutions are more likely to leave their native states, while Hispanics, college graduates from doctoral institutions, and students who reside in states with higher gross domestic product are more likely to remain in their native states. States by Region are appended. (Contains 3 tables.)