Role theory is based in a conception of a social world wherein various roles are either available or made available and those participating in such worlds shape their identity according to the roles that are made available to them. In positioning theory, Haare and van Langenhove (1998) suggest that teachers are always in the process of…

Can the current education programme of the Australian trade union movement contribute to reviving union growth and union culture, develop new activists and leaders, and encourage and facilitate the organisational change needed to re-orient unions to develop broader alliances? Twenty-five Australian trade union leaders were asked to describe the…

Teaching as an ethical enterprise is not presenting what is but moving toward what might be. Its fundamental message is that people can change their lives; teachers present possibilities and alternatives for doing so. (SK)

According to distinguished pollster Daniel Yankelovich, educators are one of the nation's most isolated subcultures, which is an obstacle to K-12 education improvement. He warns that if educators are to keep others from imposing their solutions, they must engage them in dialogue instead of ignoring them. (EV)

Focuses on principals as change facilitators, on other staff members who facilitate school improvement ("second change facilitators" and on what these two groups do together and separately. Concludes with considerations for policy making, for training of all school improvement leadership personnel and for future lines of study into facilitating…

Beatty takes the position that individual change is the necessary and sufficient beginning, ending, and focal point of adult education. Ilsley asserts that adult educators should accept their primary role as agents of social change. (SK)

The SEE research team found that teacher education programs were uniform and lacked sound theoretical rationale. The curriculum must be completely redesigned to prepare truly educated teachers who accept stewardship of schools as democratic institutions, approach their work reflectively, and possess the skills and attitudes to further educational…

Examines gender discrimination in middle schools and its societal and familial expressions. Discusses gender-discriminatory school policies and classroom practices. Maintains that the most profound effect of gender discrimination occurs during middle school years, that teachers need to become aware of their bias and take corrective action, and…

Responds to critics of language learning, justifies the mission of language teachers, and offers some practical suggestions for partnership in today's changing social, technological, and economic context. The article argues that languages should be taught to promote communication and to build a society in which peace will reign. (17 references)…

This paper provides a critical review essay of Ajay Sharma's "Portrait of a science teacher as a bricoleur: A case study from India." The main focus is two fold. First, arguments are presented to draw attention to how little advances in science teaching and science learning research have impacted teachers' practice and student…

The prevailing trends in American education-- centralization, bureaucratization, and hyperrationalization-- are being pressed upon the institution of schooling through current modes of educational change. A better approach is to increase human control over educating, locating responsibility for educational improvement with the teachers themselves.…

Examining the power relationship between teachers and change agents in the case of a centrally developed and advocated innovation. The author concludes that teachers have the greater power to control or prevent school change by refusing to implement the innovation. (Author/SJL)

Offers an empirically derived model (based on observations of administrative behavior at two institutions of higher education) describing relationships among central administrators, chairs, and faculty. Discusses change agents, the do-it-yourself approach, the rhetoric of change, the faculty retreat, hiring new and more administrators, creating…

The critical element in the quest for excellence in education is development and revitalization of the people who directly influence educational opportunity for students--teachers and all those who support, in one fashion or another, the teaching of students in schools, including school-based and district-level administrators. (JHZ)

Presents research findings that deal with teacher-librarians' leadership role in cooperative program planning and teaching and the personal characteristics that make that leadership more successful. Topics include the role of teachers and administrators, flexible scheduling, teacher-librarians as change agents, and professional development. (LRW)