Globalization has not only created the conditions that have made such educational reforms necessary, but it has also provided market-based ideology to undergird reform efforts from Santiago to New York City. Although a neoliberal approach to education is clearly en vogue, many educators and critics nonetheless have questioned the premises behind…

This document focuses on critical areas that affect teachers as the direct providers of educational service to students. It summarizes critical issues in teaching, raises key questions to be resolved, describes the current system of teacher certification and provides a bibliography for further reading. Brief discussions are presented on: (1) the…

The multiplicity of ills facing the nation's public schools can depress even the most optimistic. In this article, the author presents her views about the school system and the negative effects that labor agreements have had on it. Her views on how to solve some seemingly intractable education problems have been informed by two experiences: her…

In this chapter, the authors examine developments in the teacher workforce and in the occupation of teaching across recent generations. They take their point of departure from the perspective of prevailing policy discourse on enduring problems of educational equity, asking not only how teaching has evolved in recent decades but more specifically…

Analyzing a sample of 42 elementary schools and 45 secondary schools in the state of New York, this article investigates the organizational work characteristics that predict teachers' career dissatisfaction in order to establish a basis for changing the work environment of schools. (Author/TE)

Although states have maintained a focus on recruiting and retaining teachers, many schools and districts still face daunting challenges in ensuring a qualified and competent teaching corps. It is particularly difficult for schools considered hard to staff-those with high concentrations of low-performing, low-income students; high teacher turnover;…

This booklet describes major issues in teaching and significant initiatives to strengthen teaching in New York State's public schools. The following topics are covered: (1) recruitment and preservice education; (2) teacher certification; (3) staff development and other improvements in the condition of teaching; (4) recognition of outstanding…

This report describes New York State Regents' proposals to increase teacher compensation, improve the conditions for teaching, and to advance recruitment, preparation and retention of a quality teaching force in the state. Included in the report are recommendations on: (1) the professional status of teachers; (2) teacher salaries; (3) teaching…

The authors of this paper document how federal policy on child care and early education led to a decline in wages and education among staff in early childhood programs. The paper analyzes labor trends for the early care and education workforce over the past 25 years--notably, an overall decrease in educational qualifications, and persistent wage…

Examines how school financial policies affect economic incentives and working conditions for teachers and how these policies might serve to make the teaching profession more attractive to new and experienced teachers. Particular consideration is given to the California public school system. (DR)

Examined correlations between the literature about teacher burnout and data gathered from surveys conducted at a New York high school and college. Burnout tended to hit teachers in years 7 and 10. Its presence was devastating to teachers and their relationships with others. The main causes of burnout were feckless or uncaring administrators and…

This paper discusses a variety of incentives that can make a difference in attracting and retaining high quality teachers. These incentives include salaries, retirement benefits, working conditions, quality of life, tenure and seniority rights, and sick leave. The states in the Northeast vary considerably in their ability to attract quality…

A simple metaphor about a dipper and a bucket and decades of research to show how even the briefest interactions affect relationships, productivity, health, and longevity, is used in this book. In the short time since the book's release, educators and administrators have already discovered that creating a positive environment can have a powerful…

Pre-service teachers who had completed their practicum or student teaching and in-service teachers in their first 3 years of teaching (n = 218) completed open-ended surveys about their beliefs and fears of school violence and rated their fears for such acts as use of weapons and the likelihood of those acts about their fears about schools and…

Being a first-year teacher in New York City is not easy. The author received much of the same preparation and advice that he and his colleagues give their students. But even the best education courses and a positive student teaching experience do not seem to be enough to take the edge off of a year he remembers barely surviving. The author…