The teacher reform debate in Australia is informed by contradictory individualist and work perspectives and assumptions. The challenge for policy is harmonizing perspectives to develop a basis for the practical politics of educational reform. The individualist perspective complements corporate managerialism, whereas the work perspective raises…

Focuses on the career opportunities available at community colleges for graduate students. The article describes the focus, curriculum, and ambience of the typical two-year college. It is concluded that an overriding requirement for teaching in these institutions involves not lesson plans or learning strategies but individual motivation. (two…

Describes an experiment in organizing by the American Association of University Professors, in cooperation with the Coalition of Contingent Academic Labor, to address the working conditions of Boston area adjunct faculty by promoting coalition building, organizing part- and full-time faculty to improve conditions for adjuncts, and educating the…

Examines how charter schools can avoid past pitfalls, describing: policy dilemmas (e.g., state charter laws and political opposition); school-level dilemmas (e.g., lack of business acumen and enrollment problems); and the life cycle of charter schools (e.g., staff burnout and worrisome test scores). Notes solutions to startup problems, examining…

The objectives of this article were to assess the relationship between burnout, health, job demands and job resources in a sample of educators. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Stratified random samples (N = 266) were taken of educators in an area of the North-West Province. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey, the Health…

This article describes the teaching profession and teacher labour market in the US. Over the period since 1966, the profession has become 80% female, highly credentialled, considerably more senior, and increasingly unionized. In contrast, formal working conditions have changed relatively little, although class sizes are now approximately 30%…

On September 10, 2006, Teachers' Day was marked for the twentieth time in China. On this day, this journal's reporters congratulated teachers and at the same time conducted a number of investigations among teachers nationwide over the Internet, to find out what issues are of the biggest concern to them. The seventy-plus issues listed in this…

Teacher induction may be defined as the period of transition from student to professional when beginning teachers need supervision and support to adjust to their new roles. Concerns within the profession about the large numbers of beginning teachers leaving the profession during their first 2 years as well as innovative reforms origination from…

Essays by education policy analysts discuss results of the 1985 NEA Conditions and Resources of Teaching (CART) survey, including an overview and appraisal of the survey results, their relation to other similar studies, and the potential for and projected costs of change in the allocation of resources for teachers. The first paper, by Samuel B.…

Two issues of "Plantings," are presented. The 1986 issue is a panel discussion that considers the results and future plans of faculty development programs in three Minnesota institutions. In addition to the moderator, Robert Young, of the University of North Dakota, the panel consisted of Norman Noonan (Augsburg College), Chandra…

Seven major areas of reform that are bringing significant changes in teaching and teacher education are documented and discussed: (1) improving the academic quality of students entering teacher education programs; (2) upgrading the standards for the accreditation of teacher education institutions; (3) raising teacher certification standards; (4)…

This document presents a summary of the purpose, activities, and findings of the National Commission for Excellence in Teacher Education, focusing on the Commission's Final report "A Call for Change in Teacher Education." The report was organized around five themes: (1) supply and demand for quality teachers; (2) programs for teacher…

With critical teacher shortages projected and competition from business increasing, the importance of attracting and retaining teachers cannot be ignored. Drawn from a research base, this study recommends means by which principals, school districts, education schools, and teachers, themselves, can collaborate to provide opportunities for teacher…

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 paper chronicles the collaboration of Boston's English High School with the University of Massachusetts. It begins with a history of the school from its start in 1820 up to the late sixties when the school achieved more of a minority population. After a problematical beginning plagued by lack of coordination and direction, the collaborative…