The Task Force on Teaching was asked to gather research, review literature, and collect testimony on improving teaching. Two papers are presented: (1) "Attracting and Retaining Talented Teachers" (Cindy K. Currence); and (2) "Building State Strategies to Attract and to Retain Talented Teachers" (Robert Palaich). This report…

This report describes and justifies a data-collection system for assessing teacher supply and demand in United States elementary and secondary schools. The resulting data-collection effort consists of linked surveys of school districts, schools, principals, and teachers designed to support analyses of teacher supply and demand using dimensions…

In reviewing a study of elementary urban school teachers, the author points out how the bureaucracy of education stifles teachers' ability to develop an internalized locus of control and leads to disenchantment and alienation. Giving teachers authority to act in their areas of expertise while decentralizing the educational power structure will…

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)

This paper focuses on how teachers in city schools are experiencing the labor process. It summarizes the concept of alienation, beginning with Hegel's metaphysical teleology, which was overturned by Feuerback and found its historical materialist expression in Marx's theory of alienated labor. The paper then revisits some of the work of critical…

This paper reports on one Massachusetts teacher educator's work as a substitute teacher in local urban and suburban public schools. His goals were to assess diversity within today's classrooms, be better informed as a teacher educator, gain new clarity about teacher roles, understand the changing role of school administrators, and re-establish his…

Changes over the past decade have made teaching a more stressful profession. Stress can arise from public attitudes toward the schools, from a school's organizational structure, or from classroom problems. Strategies for coping with different types of stress are given. (PP)

The manner in which coaches are hired affects their professional attitudes toward both their teaching and coaching roles. Considerations in the hiring process should include: (1) a philosophy of the school, community, and the physical education and athletic programs; (2) written job descriptions, reviews of candidates, and conditions of…

A teacher educator who returned to middle school teaching for a year discusses the stresses and strains of classroom teaching and compares teaching today with his original public school experience 27 years before. (SJL)

Reports on ways English primary teachers' work perspectives changed following the 1988 Education Reform Act, noting the significance of teacher professionalism as a mediating influence. Most teachers had changed their teaching approach, classroom practice, and role perceptions in ways they did not choose, resulting in pressure and loss of…

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)

Used data from interviews, surveys, and document analysis to describe the methods and reform processes of the Saber Tooth Project, examining selection of sites; demographics (school sites, teachers, data sources, and project assumptions); and project phases (development, planning, implementation, and support). The project's method of reform was…

Explores aspects of home and culture in teaching and teacher education, discussing teachers' positions as foreigners among students and in pedagogical considerations and the positioning of home for teacher educators within the larger university community. The article uses school-university collaborations and university-college collaborations to…

Discusses the reasons why schools choose year-round multi-track (YRMT) scheduling. Asserts that YRMT scheduling seriously affects music teachers since they spend less time with the students and must plan in smaller increments. Provides the results from a survey where music teachers in Florida (Orange County) commented on their experiences with…

Beginning teachers do not enter the classroom as finished products. Many school administrators say that new teachers are often exuberant and optimistic but ill-equipped for the classroom. There are some administrators who are openly exasperated with the low quality of teacher applicants who are available. A personnel director, after interviewing…