Principals’ informal methods for appraising poor-performing teachers

Teacher appraisal is never an easy task, especially of teachers experiencing difficulties and failures. Nevertheless it is a requirement for good management, in our schools no less than our corporations. Forty elementary school principals in Israel described the informal methods they use to appraise teachers who are performing poorly. Most considered traits such as sensitivity to children and their needs as well as motivation, rather than professional standards or pupil achievement, as the main criteria in judging poor or outstanding teaching. Due to the sensitive nature of the issue, and the desire to avoid misjudgment and painful conflict, the principals took several precautions: they used several different formal and informal methods of appraisal; they relied on various information sources and sometimes they preferred to delay drawing final conclusions until a crisis or external complaint occurred. The discussion situates the current findings with other research on the obstacles to identifying, evaluating and providing feed back to poor-performing teachers.     

以色列高科技和风险投资的发展情况

20世纪90年代以来，以色列的高科技产业经历了一个规模从小到大的迅猛发展的阶段，所取得的成就令世人瞩目，这与以色列政府的大力支持和以色列风险投资的成功运作息息相关。本文具体介绍了以色列政府促进高科技产业发展的各项支持计划，以及为发展高科技产业而设立的私人风险投资基金(YOZMA基金)争公募风险投资基金(INBAL基金)，并阐述了以色列风险投资业发展过程及其成果，以供借鉴。     

犹太人的科技生意经--以色列如何发展高新技术产业

以色列的领土只有20325平方公里，其中一半的国土基本上是沙漠，人口65万，与中国相比小得可怜。过去的历史中，以色列经常受到敌人压制。在这种情况下，我们必须研制一些特殊的技术满足人们在衣食方面的需求，不能仅仅依靠朋友、盟友，我们必须研发新的技术在国防领域保卫自己，技术发展成为一种现实。     

The appraisal of teachers' performance and its impact on the mutuality of principal-teacher emotions

The current study examines the mutual discrete emotions among superiors and their above- and below-average workers within a hierarchical organisation (school). Using a survey method within a random sample of 40 elementary schools in Northern Israel, each principal and four of his or her teachers (two who had been appraised as excellent and two who had been appraised as poor-performing) completed two questionnaires which addressed the teachers‘ perceived performance and emotions toward the principal/teacher. As expected, the above-average teachers were found to be more favourably professionally evaluated by their superiors than the poor-performing ones. The principals expressed very positive emotions toward them. These highly regarded workers shared mutually positive feelings and similar teacher performance appraisals with their principals. In contrast with the principals’ evaluations, the below-average teachers perceived their own performance as very good. Unlike the teachers' mainly positive feelings, the principals experienced mixed emotions. The lower intensity of emotional ‘tone’ reflects the principals’ hesitation about taking any action which might lead to a deterioration in relationships with these teachers. The discussion proposes the theoretical framework of a vicious circle, in which the principal's undelivered direct feedback does not reach the teacher, who mistakenly believes that if nothing is said everything is all right, and therefore maintains his or her high self-esteem and poor performance.     

Positive Psychology in Jewish Education: Gratitude in the School and Synagogue Classroom

Positive psychology is a rapidly growing area of study for research psychologists, and more recently for school psychologists and educators as well. Yet religious education researchers and practitioners have yet to embrace this exciting new field. The current article introduces positive psychology to clergy and educators in religious institutions. By way of example, we explore gratitude, an area of particular focus among positive psychologists, demonstrating the benefits observed in those who possess and express this trait, and delineate how gratitude can be induced in the Jewish religious classroom.