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…

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…

A teacher recounts her experiences especially those related to the pressure caused by the need to adhere to the standards and tests as set by the various programs that affect their teaching and welfare of their students. It is important to evaluate the current conditions of the educators and take action to improve the situation.

This article draws on data from the authors' recent research project "The Impact of Performance Threshold Assessment on Teachers' Work", funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC R000239286) for two years from May 2001. Within its wider context of performance management the authors focused on "Threshold Assessment", employing a…

Educational policy discussions typically exclude the teacher's voice and ignore constraints of time, energy, and resources that challenge teachers and hinder policy implementation. The case studies presented in this monograph attempt to restore the teacher's perspective. Rather than analyzing policy shortfalls stemming from teacher "apathy" or…

This brief overview of a larger report focuses on a study of flaws in teacher selection and suggests improvements. It is noted that students do poorly in school because they often have new, inexperienced teachers. When these teachers get seniority, they transfer to "easier" schools, leaving new positions open to be again filled by novice teachers.…

This book presents the argument that teachers need more time for students, more time for planning, and more time for teaching. It claims that the United States should adopt and pay for the model used for public schools elsewhere in the world by having smaller classes, fewer classes per day for each teacher, and more work time for teachers to plan…

Most schools and teachers cannot provide the kind of teaching the new standards demand because they lack know-how and organizational support. The policy challenge ahead is to develop schools' capacity to teach challenging content to diverse learners by ensuring teachers' access to knowledge they need to be effective and by developing new…

Discusses the effects of reducing class size on student achievement. Studies indicate smaller classes have more positive effects than larger ones, but the effects are small. Reduced class size may improve school tone and morale, but it is not an adequate policy alone for significantly accelerating student achievement. (SM)

Discusses Tennessee's Project STAR and other research on class size, student achievement, and public policy. Findings provided no support for the idea that 12 years of small classes would produce significant increase in student achievement. However, disadvantaged minority students seemed to benefit significantly from small classes. (SM)

This paper is the culmination of a three-year study that sought to frame an initial answer to the question, "What are the circumstances and conditions under which National Board Certified teachers (NBCTs) can have a positive impact on low-performing schools?" The study, funded by Atlantic Philanthropies, was part of the National Board's more…

The future of Greece's well-being will depend on improving educational performance to boost productivity and improve social outcomes. In the current economic context, with the need to get best value for spending, Greece must and can address inefficiencies in its education system. The challenges are significant. For example, Greece lags behind many…

This paper presents an overview of several of the problems and conditions of the teaching profession and discusses different issues related to the development and implementation of policies, programs, and practices designed to address them. The opening section examines the conditions of teaching--employment opportunities, teacher evaluation,…

This document highlights some of the main problems in using temporary, adjunct, and part-time (TAP) faculty, a practice that is becoming commonplace in higher education, especially at the community college level. Institutions use TAP faculty for several reasons: economic motivation, staffing flexibility in times of fluctuating enrollments,…

Addresses issues in music education during the twentieth century. Focuses on the impact of the national standards, the working conditions and environment for music teachers, and the effects of educational policy making by politicians and the business community. States that a lesson learned is that arts educators cannot rely on outside group…