In the raging controversy over the purpose of public education and how to fix the nation's underperforming schools, the voices of America's best teachers are seldom heard. Now for the first time, in a provocative book about the future of teaching and learning, 12 of America's most accomplished classroom educators join a leading advocate for a…

For the brightest students the most significant reasons why they won't teach relate to frustrating working conditions, bureaucratic requirements, the lack of professional control, and few opportunities for intellectual growth, as well as these students' intolerance for diversity in the workplace and their perception of teaching as a "boring…

Educational reform movements--changes in state policies about teacher quality and recruitment and the professionalization of teaching--and their impact on the teacher labor market of the coming century are discussed. Four studies of teachers, teacher persistence, recruitment, and school district hiring practices are discussed. (JL)