School Leader Update, June 2010

Monthly newsletter produced by Iowa Department of Education

Report on a special investigation of the Food Service Department of the Springville Community School District for the period July 1, 2005 through March 31, 2009

Report on a special investigation of the Food Service Department of the Springville Community School District for the period July 1, 2005 through March 31, 2009

School Leader Update, July 2010

Monthly newsletter produced by Iowa Department of Education

Report on the Iowa School for the Deaf, Council Bluffs, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2009

Report on the Iowa School for the Deaf, Council Bluffs, 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

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.

Advance directives as autonomy enhancers: reality or myth?

In the last few decades there has been a wealth of literature and legislation on advance directives. As you all know, it is an instrument by which a person can express their wishes as regards what treatmentthey should be given or, more to the point, not to be given, when he is in a situation when he can not do so himself.Regulations in the western world seem to promote advance directives as a way to enhance patient¿s autonomy in thecontext of human rights, and the media has presented advance directives as another milestone in this era of selfdetermination.However, if we look closely at some of thoseregulations we will see that there are a few elements which may undermine their efficacy, shattering this nicely presentedpicture. I will focus on two elements. First, formal requirements, and secondly, certain limits or what I like to call "escape clauses".