For several historical and cultural reasons, the United States has long pursued a strategy of improving teaching by improving teachers. The rarely questioned logic underlying this choice says that by improving the right characteristics of teachers, they will teach more effectively. The authors expose the assumptions on which this logic is built,…

The symposium entitled "Social Changes in East Asia and Educational reforms: China, Korea, and Singapore" suggested that these countries are carrying out rather drastic educational reforms in the context of rapid social changes. The knowledge gained from the symposium also has important suggestions for Japanese educational reform. In…

Time is essential for teacher learning--time for teachers to sort out what they've learned, and time to practice new strategies. Schools must take a long-term view of professional learning and afford teachers the one thing essential to changing practice. They also must remember that after finding time, the second requirement is using it well.