How Schools Organize the Teaching Occupation

Quantitative Methods for Studying Social Context in Multilevels and through Interpersonal Relations

“…Review of Research in Education, 23 Ashton & Webb, 1986;Barnes, 1976;Bird & Little, 1986) and is the subject of considerable ethnographic research (e.g., Eder, 1982;Rist, 1970;Wilcox, 1982).…”

Identifying Factors that Influence Perceptions of Teacher Efficacy as a Means of Building Capacity for Restructuring Schools: a Case Study Approach

“…If they persist and become experienced teachers, their reward is to be left even more alone." (Bird & Little, 1986) "To the teachers, not only those who are the subject of this study, but to all teachers everywhere engaged in such noble work. Without them, where would any of us be?"…”

“…Researchers (Bird & Little, 1986;Lortie, 1975) also pointed out that teachers typically emphasize the significance of their beginning experiences and discount their professional coursework in their own development as professionals. It is this individual learning by the trial and error of the classroom experience that is most formative in the early years of the novice teacher.…”

“…Smith (1987) and Bird and Little (1986) (Johnson & Johnson, 1989;Lightfoot, 1983b;Little, 1982;Sergiovanni, 1987) recommended reforming schools to support the development of cooperative and collaborative structures. Such restructuring, they posited, increases school effectiveness and results in improved learning for students.…”

“…such a people orientation is echoed by the work of Kanter (1983) who pointed out that successful organizations are people-centered: not only are people treated well, but they are recognized as centrally important to the organization. Peters and Austin (1985) echoed Lightfoot (1983a) and others (Bird & Little, 1986;Goodlad, 1984;Wise, 1988) by stressing the importance of "debureaucratizing (that is consciously policing, nipping in the bud, or rolling back the excessive regulations…”