This newsletter's central item is an essay on teaching as a profession and its condition in the midst of current trends and historical movements. It discusses teacher education, recent reform efforts to incorporate new understandings of teaching and learning in programs for prospective teachers, establishment of professional development schools,…

Outlines China's 1985 educational reforms, and the political and economic factors behind them. Examines the impact on the school system, on higher education, and on teachers of reforms such as nine years' compulsory education, rapid introduction of technical and vocational training, and greater institutional autonomy. Contains 37 references. (SV)

An exploration of the assumptions, implications, and consequences of eight Wisconsin experimental projects concerned with creating career ladders and teacher incentive programs suggests that the reforms resulting from the projects intensify the work of teaching rather than redefine its conditions to make them more intellectually and socially…

A discussion of how teacher educators must respond to the sociological issues beyond everyday work that affect teachers' attitudes, dispositions, and socialization in the workplace covers: professional and traditional teacher styles; experienced teachers' attitudes of conservatism, presentism, or individualism; job ambiguities and conflicts;…

The article traces the path of change, over several years, in school culture through a school district's five-year Human Resource Development Program, presents formative evaluation data, reveals critical change decisions, and speculates on what might have been done differently. (CB)

Examines educational reforms adopted by the Soviet government in 1983-84 that provide for enrollment of six year olds in primary school, universal vocational training for secondary school students, and improvements in curricular content and teacher performance. Discusses the structure of the Soviet school system, inherent administrative problems,…

Because teachers teach who they are, teacher formation should encourage them to become whole by developing into wise, mature, competent, and humane adults. Training programs that focus on "teaching" teachers and the isolation and constraints of the teaching experience itself inhibit teachers from becoming whole human beings. (LP)

Asserts that we need a greater shift toward the personal and an active recognition for interpretation of authentic curriculum texts as art in our teaching practices. Argues that educational authoritarianism can only lead to the eventual and diminishing returns in our schools and institutions. Contains 23 references. (VWC)

Surveyed traditional and charter school teachers to determine their perceptions of the teacher's role, the teaching and learning processes, and teacher empowerment. Results indicated that there were some differences, but the two groups had more in common than not. Charter school teachers did not have deeper involvement in curricular decision…

Disputes the reform agenda of the 1996 conference of the nation's governors in Palisades, New York that focused on high-quality academics, specifically on standards and assessment as the means for change. Believes that by building human capital and promoting teacher learning, a more significant and worthwhile change will occur in the schools. (CMK)

Emiliana Vegas surveys strategies used by the world's developing countries to fill their classrooms with qualified teachers. With their low quality of education and wide gaps in student outcomes, schools in developing countries strongly resemble hard-to-staff urban U.S. schools. Their experience with reform may thus provide insights for U.S.…

During the last few years, the development of seamless education systems to promote students' postsecondary success has been discussed by policymakers at the local, state and federal levels as well as reform-minded individuals. Florida, Washington, Iowa, Georgia and California either have statewide integrated systems or are moving quickly toward…

Parents, teachers, and government officials agree that America's schools must be reformed. However, new research suggests that most reforms will not work without closer attention to one critical resource--time. This document presents findings of a study conducted by the Rand Institute on Education and Training, which found that any reform takes…

The assumption that as teacher empowerment increases in restructuring schools teacher job satisfaction will increase was explored in a study using a large sample of classroom teachers working in schools initiating self-designed restructuring efforts. Study participants were 10,544 classroom teachers working in 307 Venture Capital Schools funded to…

The project described in this report used action research to study the involvement of teachers in the change process at a suburban elementary school. The project used study groups as a professional development strategy that fosters educational reform efforts. All 28 teachers on the school's staff signed up for a group. Teachers appreciated the…