This issues paper was prepared by a task force convened by the Mathematical Sciences Education Board to explore the feasibility of assembling and disseminating source materials for mathematics departments and individual faculty members at the college level seeking to better document their educational growth and effectiveness over time. Four possible directions for action are offered in reference to faculty reward structures: broadening the definition of professional involvement to include work on educationally significant problems; making the setting and achieving of departmental objectives the collective responsibility of all members of a department; supporting faculty throughout their proefssional careers as their areas of interest change; and creating and supporting natural communities of interest. Four suggested tools to document growth and effectiveness are: professional briefs, teaching portfolios, departmental portraits, and case studies. Contains 23 references. (MKR)