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Breaking the Silence

Overcoming the Problem of Principal Mistreatment of Teachers

First Edition
By: Joseph Blase, Jo Blase

Recognize destructive behavior and cultivate constructive support!

In this groundbreaking book, the authors begin the critical dialogue about abuse by exposing the various manifestations of mistreatment and offering practical solutions for its prevention and correction. The text masterfully provides the tools necessary to identify destructive behavior and raises awareness of this common phenomenon in order to foster teacher development, student achievement, and school improvement.

Key features include:

Real-life examples and testimonials
Specific indicators of mistreatment, categorized into three levels
Detailed description of the effects on schools and teachers, professionally and personally
Solutions for overcoming this problem, including individual, organizational, and legal resolutions

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Product Details

Grade Level: PreK-12
ISBN: 9780761977728
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2002
Page Count: 208
Publication date: September 06, 2002

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Author(s) Table of Contents Reviews

Description

Recognize destructive behavior and cultivate constructive support!

The detrimental effect of abusive principal behavior not only deteriorates teacher morale and performance, but also erodes school effectiveness, student learning, and quality of life for everyone involved. Unfortunately, this type of mistreatment—with its devastating implications—has largely been ignored and treated as a taboo subject.

In this groundbreaking book, Blase and Blase begin the critical dialogue about abuse by exposing the various manifestations of mistreatment, and offering practical solutions for its prevention and correction. The invaluable information presented is based on findings from the first-of-its-kind study conducted by the authors, in which they interviewed elementary, middle/junior high, and high school teachers from rural, suburban, and urban areas across the United States and Canada.

The text masterfully provides the tools necessary to identify destructive behavior and raises awareness of this common phenomenon in order to break the cycle of abuse. It is the crucial first step toward preventing further mistreatment and fostering teacher development, student achievement, and school improvement.

Key features include

Real-life examples and testimonials
Specific forms and indicators of mistreatment, categorized into three levels
Detailed description of the effects on schools and teachers, professionally and personally
Solutions for overcoming this problem, including six survival skills, "Bullyproofing," "Bullybusting," and other individual, organizational, and legal resolutions

Key features

Real-life examples and testimonials
Specific forms and indicators of mistreatment, categorized into three levels
Detailed description of the effects on schools and on teachers, professionally and personally
Solutions for overcoming this problem, including six survival skills, "Bullyproofing," "Bullybusting," and other individual, organizational, and legal resolutions

Author(s)

Joseph Blase

Joseph Blaseis a professor of educational administration at the University of Georgia. Since receiving his Ph.D. in 1980 from Syracuse University, his research has focused on school reform, transformational leadership, the micropolitics of education, principal-teacher relationships, and the work lives of teachers. His work concentrating on school-level micropolitics received the 1988 Davis Memorial Award given by the University Council for Educational Administration, and his coauthored article published in the Journal of Educational Administration won the W. G. Walker 2000 Award for Excellence. In 1999 he was recognized as an elite scholar, one of the 50 Most Productive and Influential Scholars of Educational Administration in the world. Blase’s books include The Politics of Life in Schools: Power, Conflict, and Cooperation (winner of the 1994 Critic’s Choice Award sponsored by the American Education Studies Association), Bringing Out the Best in Teachers (1994, 2000, 2008); The Micropolitics of Educational Leadership (1995), Empowering Teachers (1994, 2000), Democratic Principals in Action (1995), The Fire Is Back (1997), Handbook of Instructional Leadership (1998, 2004), Breaking the Silence (2003), and Teachers Bringing Out the Best in Teachers (2006). His recent research (coauthored with Jo Blase and Du Fengning, 2008), a national study of principal mistreatment of teachers, appeared in The Journal of Educational Administration. Professor Blase has published over 120 academic articles, chapters, and books.

Jo Blase

Jo Blase is a professor of educational administration at the University of Georgia, and a former public school teacher, high school and middle school principal, and director of staff development. She received a Ph.D. in educational administration, curriculum, and supervision in 1983 from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and her research has focused on instructional and transformational leadership, school reform, staff development, and principal-teacher relationships. Through work with the Beginning Principal Study National Research Team, the Georgia League of Professional Schools, and public and private school educators with whom she consults throughout the United States and abroad, she has pursued her interest in preparation for and entry to educational and instructional leadership as it relates to supervisory discourse.

Winner of the W. G. Walker 2000 Award for Excellence for her coauthored article published in the Journal of Educational Administration, the University of Georgia College of Education Teacher Educator Award, the University of Colorado School of Education Researcher/Teacher of the Year, and the American Association of School Administrators Outstanding Research Award, Blase has published in international handbooks and journals such as The Journal of Staff Development, The Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, Educational Administration Quarterly, and The Alberta Journal of Educational Research; her eight book editions include Empowering Teachers (1994, 2000), Democratic Principals in Action (1995), The Fire Is Back (1997), Handbook of Instructional Leadership (1998, 2004), Breaking the Silence (2003), and Teachers Bringing Out the Best in Teachers (2006).

Blase has authored chapters on becoming a principal, school renewal, supervision, and organizational development; her recent research examines the problem of teacher mistreatment. She has published over 90 academic articles, chapters, and books, and she also conducts research on supervisory discourse among physicians as medical educators and consults with physicians in US hospitals and medical centers.

Foreword

Acknowledgements

About the Authors

1. The Problem of Principal Mistreatment of Teachers

2. The Many Faces of Moderate Mistreatment: From Discounting Teachers to Offensive Personal Conduct

3. Escalating Mistreatment of Teachers: From Spying to Criticism

4. Severe Mistreatment of Teachers: From Lying to Destruction

5. The Effects of Principal Mistreatment of Teachers: Lasting Wounds and Damaged Schools

6. Worlds of Pain: The Undoing of Teachers

7. Overcoming the Problem of Principal Mistreatment of Teachers: What Can We Do?

Research Method and Procedures

References

Index

Reviews

Truly a groundbreaking effort and one that deserves serious attention.

Don Saul, AASA American Superintendent of the Year, 2000
From the Foreword by Don Saul

The book is based on extensive research, loaded with real examples, and it reflects the authors' concern to improve the conditions of all schools. Because of the book's comprehensive focus, it will be valuable to practitioners, fledgling administrators, and other educators who are striving to improve the conditions in schoools.

George E. Pawlas, Professor of Educational Leadership
University of Central Florida

Breaking the Silence is the first empirical report of the actual experiences of abused teachers; that is, what constitutes principal mistreatment and its impact on teachers and their work.

Chicago Union Teacher, May 2003

Blase and Blase sound the alarm on principals’ mistreatment of teachers, and begin the important work of finding constructive solutions. Not just an exposé for the purpose of raising awareness, the book is also a guide, providing practical strategies for preventing and correcting this mistreatment.

Georgia Association of Teachers (NEA) Newsletter, 2003

Required reading for educators around the country.

Long overdue, and finally brings this serious problem to the public’s attention.

Phenomenal…every abused teacher’s story on every page.

American Society for Ethics in Education website

The book fell from cyberspace…the answer to our prayers.

Blase & Blase have the integrity to reveal what has been a very deep, dark, destructive secret.

The descriptors of abuse are so accurate that few teachers could read this book without pits in their stomachs and tears rolling down their eyes.

National Association for the Prevention of Teacher Abuse website

Other Titles in: Principalship | Superintendents & District Administration | Teaching Methods & Learning Styles

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