Teacher supply and recruitment, teacher pay and working conditions, institutional structures, and policy contexts are compared for England and Scotland. In Scotland, the fundamental approach to teacher employment and retention is based on rewarding teachers and improving conditions. The exaggerated centralization of English education policy, with…

A study surveyed 19 student teachers placed in rural Saskatchewan communities and their cooperating teachers. Advantages of rural placements were better acquaintance with students and families, high community involvement, supportive atmosphere, opportunities to engage in various activities, fewer discipline problems, and rural lifestyle.…

Documentation is provided regarding the relationship between students' socioeconomic condition and their school performance. Ten teacher- and nonteacher-related reasons for low achievement among lower class and underclass students are presented. Several teacher-related reforms are proposed. (IAH)

Efforts to professionalize teaching in recent years have contrasted sharply with regulatory initiatives that deprofessionalize the occupation and the act of teaching. Choices made now between better regulations and better teachers will determine the shape of education in years to come. (TE)

Studied the role of textbooks in elementary education. Found that the influence of textbooks on teachers' thinking and on classroom instruction was somewhat less than the literature indicates. Patterns of textbook use were not consistent across academic subjects. Conditions of elementary education encourage selective and variable textbook use. (BB)

Although families and early experiences have changed markedly, teacher roles have not. Traditional classroom management approaches are ineffective with children raised with little attention to timeliness, spatial rules, and property rights. Teachers must understand differences in value structures to motivate students and help them respond…

The effects of educational reform policies in Texas were studied as they relate to teacher burnout. A survey was mailed to 3,000 teachers. In all, 700 teachers responded, and interviews were conducted with about 120 of them. Teachers experienced considerable emotional exhaustion, and the effects of paperwork were significant. (SLD)

Although necessary for a diversified student body, minority teachers are underrepresented due to a lingering resistance to integration efforts, unappealing classroom conditions, salary issues, and culturally biased professional exams. Equitable placement procedures, incentives, competitive salaries, mentoring programs, subject-area recruitment,…

Paints a discouraging picture of the teaching conditions in higher education in the Ukraine. Salaries are about one-quarter of their previous levels, and often are not paid for months at a time, workers in science and education rank forty-fifth out of forty-eight pay categories, and publishing opportunities have declined. (MJP)

Parents' nostalgia and waning confidence in teachers' competence are primary obstacles to improving schools. Teaching and public education are at a crossroads. One road involves teachers and parent partners in a broad social movement that ultimately protects and redefines teacher professionalism. The other leads to deprofessionalization of…

This article reports perceptions of a first-year teacher of students with learning disabilities. First-year challenges are described, as well as views on assessment, accountability, and inclusion. Recommendations are made for new teachers and steps that teacher educators, school administrators, and experienced teachers can take to ensure the…

When teachers become involved in induction programs like California's Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment program, the principal's role becomes crucial. To support new teachers, principals can adjust working conditions, provide more release time for lesson planning, connect formative and evaluative assessment goals, and support collaborative…

Outlines 10 areas requiring teacher leadership in schools; discusses benefits for students, teachers, the school, and the principal; and lists impediments (workload, time, testing constraints, colleagues' disapprobation, and unsupportive principals). Determined, goal-driven teachers have the power to unlock one another's leadership potential and…

A teacher of adjudicated students wonders: why teach? The money is not good. The call for accountability is based on the misperception that teachers perform poorly. The work is stressful and complicated by imposition of standards that don't address all aspects of a good education. He reasons that he can't find anything more rewarding than working…

Managers in 281 schools of all types in 20 LEAs in England completed a survey about teacher absence and its causes. This paper reports reasons for teachers' long-term absences in those schools, examining the link between age and ability to report for work. Head teachers' views on the impact of school stress on teacher attendance are also explored.…