Argues that the marginality of English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL) expatriate teachers exemplifies the postmodern condition affecting society at the end of the millennium. Uses the image of the paladin and its juxtaposition with the conceptual framework of postmodernity to generate new ways of thinking about issues in ESL/EFL…

Not since the launch of the Soviet Sputnik satellite spurred the federal government to begin investing in science and mathematics education through the National Defense Education Act have these two areas of the school curriculum been so high on state and federal policy agendas. Policy makers, business leaders, educators, and the media again worry…

For new educators, the obstacles of high-stakes testing, curricular mandates, and their own inexperience and self-doubt can render teaching for justice and equity overwhelming, seemingly impossible ideals. However, as students are increasingly tied to prescriptive curricula and academic performance standards, the goals of social justice and…

This article examines the effectiveness of observable and quantifiable traits in and approaches of school principals in enhancing student achievement. Data were gathered on 2,048 fourth-grade students in 96 public primary schools in Leon, Mexico; Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Santiago, Chile. The UNESCO/ORELAC (United…

Early career special educators must be engaged in conversations with developers of preservice teacher preparation programs to co-construct initial teacher education programs which meet their needs. The process of listening to the teachers themselves could serve to ensure that teachers are an explicit element of program design. This article…

The most significant development in education since World War II has been the growing professionalization of teachers and teaching. This article traces this development from the original bureaucratic supervision model through the 1970s "advocacy revolution" to the recent push for full empowerment. Pioneering efforts in selected districts…

Teachers generally feel unrewarded and underappreciated. Most oppose merit pay and extending the school year and desire higher pay and more authority. The most frequently mentioned problems are parents' lack of interest and support, lack of proper financial support, pupils' lack of interest and truancy, and lack of discipline. Other results are…

A survey of 360 teachers showed that many teachers are voluntarily using their own money to support their classroom work. On average, the teachers surveyed spent $444 annually; teachers nationwide may be spending more than $1 billion annually. Respondents' comments ranged from outrage and frustration with lack of available funds to acceptance of…

Describes a conceptual framework to measure various school climate aspects, including institutional integrity, initiating structure, consideration, resource support, principal influence, teacher morale, and academic emphasis. The Organization Health Inventory is a 44-item questionnaire asking educators to describe their behavior along a 4-point…

As one survey shows, although collegiality within academic departments determined secondary teachers' innovation norms, conceptions of students, sense of subject area, and enthusiasm, teacher commitment and pride are primarily products of district-level influences. Teacher autonomy without strong district professional community, with its…

Today's staff developers are truly social architects aiming to build a culture of learning by transforming the workplace. When teachers and principals develop as caretakers of learning communities and as collaborators, problem seekers, action researchers, and designers of responsive student-centered curricula, then schoolwork will become more…

Many researchers have identified a process they call "deskilling", which they use to describe the daily experience of teachers who have been gradually losing control of their own labour within "low-trust" workplaces. Conversely, other scholars have found that under similar conditions, some teachers have their own ways of…

Recognizing the considerable significance of schools' ability to create an environment of trust and mutual respect, the Center for Teaching Quality--in collaboration with the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards Commission and with generous support from the Karen and Christopher Payne Family Foundation--conducted two focus groups with…

This paper expresses dissatisfaction with a system of preparation, certification, supervision, inservice training, and compensation that fails to produce highly qualified teachers. Teachers' training and working conditions must change so that beginning teachers are better prepared, inservice education really improves experienced teachers' skills,…

A survey of school administrators revealed that compensation and a safe, comfortable work setting were most strongly related to teacher turnover levels. Districts with higher pay and more fringe benefits had low levels of turnover; long commuting distance and old, uncomfortable buildings were related to high turnover. Implications are discussed.…