The Regis Career Education Program (RECEP) is an accelerated degree-granting program for adults at Regis College in Denver, Colorado. Since the program began in 1979, there has been a steady increase in enrollments and, consequently, a steady increase in the number of adjunct faculty. These adjunct faculty members are generally drawn from outside…

A study of the conditions and resources of teachers sought to assess, through a national survey of 1,789 elementary and secondary school teachers, the degree to which four factors--job resources, decision making, communication with building-level administrators, and correlates of teacher satisfaction and career commitment--affect the teachers'…

This study sought to determine: (1) preservice teachers' perceptions of teaching as a career, and (2) differences in perceptions among groups of preservice teachers categorized on the basis of a variety of background variables. Subjects of the study were 101 education majors enrolled in a college in the Southeast. The survey instrument included 71…

Although many researchers conclude that education is a profession marked by high levels of stress or experience of "burnout," this paper contends that educators are more adaptable and hence less stressed than the literature would indicate. The paper surveys literature on educator stress, presents studies indicating low educator stress, and…

Three scenarios are offered for the future of teaching. The first includes reforms such as requirements for a full liberal arts program for teacher candidates, a fifth year of professional education, a carefully supervised induction, and tests of subject-matter knowledge, professional knowledge, and performance. The second scenario examines the…

Utah's involvement with career ladders grew out of the nationwide educational reform movement. The plan was to improve learning by improving the quality of teachers. This could be done by retaining superior teachers, attracting higher quality recruits, and improving teachers' working conditions. In 1984 the Utah Legislature focused on…

This study gathered information from 94 first-year teachers (graduates of Memorial University, Newfoundland, Canada) regarding their attitudes towards teaching, methodological and technical competencies, and the adequacy of their teacher preparation. The teachers were asked to give background information that included degree received, type of…

The papers in this volume were commissioned to provide information useful for planning, implementing, and assessing the impact of new teacher programs, such as the Illinois Initial Year of Teaching Program. These papers were presented at a conference held at the University of Chicago in September 1987 on the initial year of teaching to provide a…

Sources of supply of teachers relevant to District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) are discussed in this monograph. Subgroups traditionally available for recruitment into teaching include: (1) newly trained teachers; (2) migrating teachers; (3) re-entry teachers; (4) non-education majors; and (5) second-career professionals. The subgroups which…

In 1983 and 1984, a number of reports were issued that criticized the status of schools, primarily high schools. These reports gave impetus to widespread efforts to improve education. This paper presents an analysis of the content and impact of the reform reports, reviewing earlier reform efforts, assessing the primary ways in which the reports…

Teaching has a history in which women figure prominently. Driven by need and ambition, many women worked as schoolteachers in the nineteenth century, although not necessarily attracted by the work itself. This essay focuses on Charlotte Bronte, examining the constraints and values that account for her choice of teaching as a career. It is based on…

This paper analyzes some of the characteristics of research on teacher thinking as it relates to educational policy. An introductory section discusses the problems inherent in relating research on teacher thinking to educational policy, based on the difference between conclusion-oriented research (which is appropriate for teacher thinking) and…

This study examined the attitudes, beliefs, and concerns of second-year students in the University of Virginia teacher education program. One of the purposes of the second year course is to guide students in the process of making a career choice. "Teaching as a Profession" is the first professional course in the program. Students are involved in…

This monograph summarizes findings from surveys of teachers' attitudes toward their profession. The attitudes of public school teachers revealed in these surveys are remarkably uniform. Attitudes differ little by school level or location, or teachers' age, sex, or years of experience. Generally, teachers are dedicated to teaching and object most…

The Education Commission of the States has initiated a series of dialogues between teachers and the people responsible for shaping the institutional and political context within which learning takes place. This booklet draws on transcripts of several "Talks With Teachers" to introduce leaders to what teachers are saying. Though the quotations are…