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Data from the National Institute of Education's Safe School Study Report suggested that teachers in American urban public schools are emotionally and physically victimized and that the result is heightened level of stress associated with teaching. This study, which is part of larger, longitudinal project, explores the linkages between reported experiences of victimization by 291 urban public school teachers and task‐specific stressors in the performance of the teaching role. The level of reported stress and nature and degree of victimization differ by the grade level taught and the race of the teacher. Generally, minority teachers (black and brown) are less likely to report being stressed or victimized than are white teachers, while elementary school teachers report their work to be most stressful. There is no evidence of a specific causal ordering between fear of victimization and teacher stress. Rather, each may feed upon and facilitate the other.

Using a sample of 291 respondents from a teachers' union in a large urban district, this study tested a series of hypotheses concerning the relationships among job stress associated with teaching, stress-induced illness behavior, and social support by principals and co-workers. Illness increases as job stress increases, except that teachers assigned to schools where the principal is seen as supportive are significantly less likely to report stress-induced illness behavior than teachers in schools where the principal is seen as unsupportive. Supportive co-workers have no effect upon stress-induced illness behavior, nor is there a statistical interaction effect between principals and co-workers. Policy implications for reducing illness and absenteeism are noted.

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Students who failed the Texas mandatory third grade reading test were followed through their sophomore year in high school. Comparisons of reading scores between third grade students who repeated the grade and their socially promoted classmates revealed that the positive effect of retention persisted over time. Retention in third grade benefited low‐performing readers regardless of race. Supplemental analyses found that the results are not likely attributable to selection biases, differential attrition of students from the panel, changes in the special education status of students, and regression to the mean effects. Making students repeat a grade, when supplemented with additional educational assistance, can benefit academically challenged children.

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Existing theories of the effects of relative numbers, and especially tokenism, on worker behaviors and attitudes are reviewed. Despite the absence of specific reference in the literature to worker alienation as an outcome of token status, an argument is presented drawing upon this research tradition and discussions of marginality to link this dependent variable to tokenism. In addition, often neglected status considerations are included to predict directionality in that linkage. Findings suggest that relative numbers play a minimal role in worker alienation. Some limited support for the relevance of status concerns is found, but only in sex tokenism. Absolute size appears to have negligible effects. It is suggested that theories of tokenism may need to define more narrowly the occupations to which they apply and also delineate other, more social psychological variables that may intervene between numbers and attitudes.