Investigates teachers' professional lives during their early years of teaching in the Victoria, Australia area. Suggests that the concept of the beginning teacher as a novice progressing to expert had limited value. Reveals the critical influence of the social and political context in enabling supportive communities to foster the proper…

The "Teachers' Learning Project" (1999), by John Smythe and colleagues, is pitched at Australian teachers, but is adaptable to England and elsewhere. Rather than prescribing theories and practices, this publication supports critical reflection by providing suggestions and structures for gathering evidence, discussing practice, and…

This study explored descriptive data from the National Study of Postsecondary Faculty to assess the extent to which African American faculty at 2-year and 4-year institutions differ in their job satisfaction. Overall, the findings revealed that African American faculty at 2-year institutions are more likely to report being very satisfied with…

Distance education is generally seen as a very isolating experience for students, but one often forgets that it can be an equally isolating experience for teaching staff who oftentimes work in isolation from colleagues. This study examines the experiences of nine tutors at the Reading and Writing Centres of one of the 10 biggest universities in…

The principle of inclusion of children with exceptionalities is accepted by teachers, but the practice of inclusion is problematic, particularly at the secondary level. In a study of inclusion and the impact of budgetary constraints in Nova Scotia, teachers reported that they had difficulty meeting the needs of all students within their classroom…

Issues needing improvement in teacher preparation and the teaching profession are examined, and suggestions are made for reform. The paper represents an eclectic view of teacher education based on various resources, including: teacher preparation questionnaires, coursework, recommendations from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher…

Since teaching is fundamentally a decision-making process, analyzing teachers' decisions can lead to a better understanding of learning and of management in the classroom. Three major features of teacher decision making are (1) that teaching is an intensely active profession; (2) that most of the work of teaching occurs in a group setting; and (3)…

Monetary incentives are not the only variables that attract and hold good teachers. Long-lasting organizational change can only be achieved by manipulating organizational values such as authority structures, reward systems, technology, and environmental relations. To affect both teachers and students, educational reform must include teachers'…

This report presents a conceptual framework for the mission of the National Institute of Education (NIE) Research and Development Center for Teacher Quality and Effectiveness. Several important issues that should be the focus of the Center are identified, and the theoretical foundations to guide the research and development activities to study…

Maintains that schools are political as well as educational institutions because they control selection of what is taught, in what context, by whom, and for what purposes. Investigates perceptions of political restraint among preservice teachers based on their student teaching experiences. (Author/DB)

In this review symposium on Andy Hargreaves's book "Changing Teachers, Changing Times: Teachers' Work and Culture in the Postmodern Age" (1994), Strain questions Hargreaves's treatment of modernity, postmodernism, and postmodernity and his materialistic, functionalist view of history and social change. Wong applauds Hargreaves' analysis…

Documents greater teacher attrition in the United Kingdom than previously realized and demands a halt to this trend. Urges increasing teacher managers' awareness of factors diminishing job satisfaction, an important factor influencing decisions to leave the profession. Presents three job satisfaction models used in business with possible…

To restructure teaching by changing teacher roles, five working condition must be enhanced, including support for teaching, collegiality, influence, recognition and advancement, and time. Three policies claiming to facilitate these conditions (differentiated staff, site-based management, and schools with learning communities) are true…

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…

Creating a school as a humane business involves hard work, hard thinking, and degree of risk-taking. All too often finances and inadequate resources are used as excuse for maintaining the status quo. Educators are advised to eliminate bells, PA systems, detention, study halls, tracking, and lock-step scheduling patterns and to institute…