The author's statement to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions on the challenges faced by America's classroom teachers focuses on a few of the factors that lead to teacher frustration and burnout that higher pay, however well-intended, does not change. They include, but are not limited to, poor teacher preparation,…

Restructuring teacher career models is a resource-intensive task, which demands strong financial, human, and technical capacity. Resource constraints place limitations on policymakers during both the design and implementation stages of a career reform process and are often the biggest obstacle to success. This brief examines how adequate budget…

Since the 1990s, in both high- and low-income countries, ministries of education have found it difficult to attract and retain capable and motivated educators, with negative effects on the quality of education and ultimately on student performance. The reasons for this decline in status are different in high- and low-income countries. In the…

An increasing number of countries are moving to second-generation teacher career models, where differentiation is made between teachers on the basis of their performance rather than on their qualifications or length of service. Career structures that widen the opportunities available to teachers appear to be the most promising for teacher…

This study of 82 general educators with certification in special education found that over half would consider special education positions. Primary deterrents to special education teaching included paperwork and factors related to working with special populations; potential incentives included adequate teaching resources, minimal nonteaching…

Intended for administrators and policy makers as well as teachers, this digest presents a selection of reactions to "A Nation at Risk," the report by the National Commission on Excellence in Education. The five parts of the digest discuss the five major recommendations of the ccmmission's report concerning curriculum, standards and…

Argues that the best way to improve teachers' performance and morale is to provide more paid time for essential teaching tasks. Six suggestions are provided: reduce class size; provide clerical help; delegate responsibility; provide student assistants; seek help from parents; provide monthly (nonteaching) work days. (TE)

This comprehensive review of 16 nationally representative public opinion polls conducted between 2000 and 2006 provides insight into how teachers, school administrators, parents, and the general public view the teaching profession. It looks specifically at issues of teacher availability, recruitment, and retention for at-risk and hard-to-staff…

Recent studies at the Center for Educational Policy and Management provide insight into how collective bargaining affects the teaching profession, educational policy, and student achievement. Charles Kerchner's report links a three-stage labor relations model with an analysis of teaching as work. His case studies, besides revealing wide variations…

The status of teacher career ladders in Utah is discussed from five different perspectives. Jim Wilson, representing the Legislative Research Analyst's Office and General Counsel of the Legislature, speaks about legislative intent from the past year and what legislators thought would happen and wanted to happen regarding career ladder bills which…

Originally published in 1984, this book has been re-issued with a new and timely introduction and an index. Its six chapters provide a framework for viewing schools and teachers' roles within those schools and serve as a springboard for discussion about how to restructure schools and in what direction. Chapter 1, "The Social Realities of…

An analysis of data on teachers indicates coming changes in recruitment and retention of the American teaching force, in the quality of teachers, and in the attractiveness of teaching as a profession. New recruits to teaching are less academically qualified than those who are leaving, and shortages of qualified teachers in subjects such as…

This publication reports on a seminar held over five days which brought together teachers and administrators from the Albany (New York) area schools and colleges and universities to discuss teacher preparation and professional development. Opening sections introduce the seminar, list participants, and detail the six procedural steps that the…

Projected teacher shortages are due to an expanding need and teachers leaving the profession. With the extreme pressures on beginning teachers, a large percentage of them leave the profession within their first 5-6 years. Causes for leaving the profession include school staffing actions; personal reasons; pursuing another job; and dissatisfaction.…

This paper, on the central and distinctive contribution of knowledge to teaching, combines philosophical analysis with a discussion of work in research on teaching, student conceptions, and curriculum. The hierarchical argument contains two main points: (1) that content knowledge is a logical precondition for the activities of teaching; and (2)…