Report on the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School, Vinton, Iowa, for the year ended June 30, 2009

Report on the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School, Vinton, Iowa, for the year ended June 30, 2009

School Leader Update, August 2010

Monthly newsletter produced by Iowa Department of Education

School Leader Update, September 2010

Monthly newsletter produced by Iowa Department of Education

Report on a special investigation of the Clinton Community School District for the period July 1, 2005 through February 28, 2010

Report on a special investigation of the Clinton Community School District for the period July 1, 2005 through February 28, 2010

Letter to the Colo-Nesco Community School District as a result of reaudit procedures performed at the request of the Superintendent pursuant to Chapter 11.6(4)(a)(2) of the Code of Iowa for the period July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008

Letter to the Colo-Nesco Community School District as a result of reaudit procedures performed at the request of the Superintendent pursuant to Chapter 11.6(4)(a)(2) of the Code of Iowa for the period July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008

School Leader Update, November 2010

Monthly newsletter produced by Iowa Department of Education

School Leader Update, October 2010

Monthly newsletter produced by Iowa Department of Education

Audit report on Clarke Community School District in Osceola, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2010

Audit report on Clarke Community School District in Osceola, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2010

School Leader Update, December 2010

Monthly newsletter produced by Iowa Department of Education

Addressing elementary school teachers' professional stressors: Practical suggestions for schools and adminstrators

Purpose: Given the preponderance of education reform since the No Child Left Behind Act (U.S. Department of Education, 2001), reform efforts have shaped the nature of the work and culture in schools. The emphasis on standardized testing to determine schools' status and student performance, among other factors, has generated stress, particularly for teachers. Therefore, district and school administrators are encouraged to consider the contextual factors that contribute to teacher stress to address them and to retain high-performing teachers. Research Methods/Approach: Participants were recruited from two types of schools in order to test hypotheses related to directional responding as a function of working in a more challenging (high-priority) or less challenging (non-high-priority) school environment. We employed content analysis to analyze 64 suburban elementary school teachers' free-responses to a prompt regarding their stress as teachers. We cross-analyzed our findings through external auditing to bolster trustworthiness in the data and in the procedure. Findings: Teachers reported personal and contextual stressors. Herein, we reported concrete examples of the five categories of contextual stressors teachers identified: political and educational structures, instructional factors, student factors, parent and family factors, and school climate. We found directional qualities and overlapping relationships in the data, partially confirming our hypotheses. Implications for Research and Practice: We offer specific recommendations for practical ways in which school administrators might systemically address teacher stress based on the five categories of stressors reported by participants. We also suggest means of conducting action research to measure the effects of implemented suggestions.

Audit report on Sheldon Community School District in Sheldon, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2010

Audit report on Sheldon Community School District in Sheldon, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2010

School Leader Update, February 2011

Monthly newsletter produced by Iowa Department of Education

School Leader Update, January 2011

Monthly newsletter produced by Iowa Department of Education

Report to the Governor and General Assembly on the Status of Out-of School Arts Programming for Youth, December 2006

In the 2006 Iowa General Assembly, House File 2797 called for a study on the status of afterschool arts programs and appropriated $5,000 for the study. In accordance with the legislation, the Iowa Arts Council, who received the charge, contracted with the Iowa Afterschool Alliance to form a Resource Group of out-of-school arts providers and experts to develop and oversee the study, review its results, and make recommendations for the expansion of arts programs that operate outside the normal school day. As a part of its charge in HF 2797, the Iowa Arts Council also documented a sampling of out-of-school arts programs statewide. Five are featured in this report.