This monograph describes a research program that will assess the cumulative effects of education policies on the teaching environment. It also focuses on how these policy outcomes affect the ability of schools to attract and retain highly qualified teachers and principals. The document presents the results of interviews conducted at two elementary…

Described are the individual problems and frustrations encountered by three Japanese teachers working within a rigid school system. Without calling specific attention to the parallel, the situations described in the article could easily be applied to many American schools. Much attention is given to student evaluation problems. (MA)

This paper seeks to identify invisible factors influencing language institutions in Japan that consciously or unconsciously treat non-Japanese teachers in a totally different way from the way they treat their Japanese counterparts. Among the factors are the social, organizational, and legal parameters surrounding non-Japanese teachers in Japan.…

U.S. teacher recounts his experiences in a Japanese school. He found that Japanese students respected their teachers more than their mothers. Students and teachers formed profound attachments, and teachers encouraged students to develop strong moral values. (SM)

Provides an overview of Japan's educational system, covering such topics as its examination system, curriculum, extracurricular activities, and typical school day schedule. Includes information on the role of the family in education, teacher training, and teaching conditions. (GEA)

Analyzes the contemporary status and problems of the teaching profession in Japan, focusing on critical issues related to its roles and autonomy that have a significant bearing upon the teaching process. Discussions include the effects of governmental regulations and problems associated with class sizes and teaching conditions. (GLR)

Harold Stevenson, author of "The Learning Gap," describes differences between schools in the United States, which he feels are in crisis, and those in Asia. The article includes important differences in staff development and in the working conditions of teachers in those countries. (SM)

Five teachers of English at the secondary level in Japan agreed to participate in this qualitative study that set about uncovering their beliefs about teaching and their current curricular activities. Findings indicate that despite their vastly different workplaces, teacher-participants continue to work in the shadow of an educational system…

Teachers in Japan are no longer held in high esteem simply because of their position in the Confucian hierarchy of status and authority. Gone is the time when the word of the sensei would bring silence and order to a classroom. Ironically, the fruits of a postwar first-world nation--increased parental education, material affluence, and a…

This paper describes the experiences of an English teacher from Washington State University who taught English in Japan for a year. The teacher concluded after her year in Japan that the country is and has been involved in a less-than-conscious national effort to "stonewall" the effective teaching of English as a second language in all…

Reports survey findings from over 1,200 Japanese secondary teachers on job satisfaction and other work attitudes and their relationships to working conditions, teacher roles and responsibilities, and specific classroom practices. Discusses the influences of teacher skills and training and Japanese social attitudes, sex roles, and style of…

Highlights descriptions of actual school and classroom settings in Japan for comparison with U.S. schools as well as exploring teachers' work situation and their roles and responsibilities. Summarizes classroom life from the students' perspectives to provide a backdrop for understanding the teaching context in Japan. (GLR)

This volume reviews the development of teacher education in Japan from 1868 to the present. The first section examines teacher education in Japan from 1868 to 1945, covering the development of normal schools; the Tokyo Normal School, Japan's first modern teacher education institute, founded in 1872; conservative reaction during the 1880s and the…

This is the final report of Phase 2 of a study on teacher training and professional development in the nation members of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). Phase 2 examined policy and practices of teacher induction in 11 participating APEC members. This report provides responses to a survey and three case studies. The survey asked Education…

This report describes how the education system in the United States compares with education systems in the other Group of Eight (G-8) countries. The G-8 countries--Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States--are among the world's most economically developed countries. Comparative…