Student learning and development do not occur without teacher learning and development. Not any teacher development will do, though. The old flaws of weak and wayward staff development are well-known--no staff development, in which trial and error are assumed to be enough; staff development that is all ideas and no implementation, i.e. the…

The specification of various categories of knowledge that teachers should possess has been a historically consistent feature of moves to professionalize school teaching and to argue for individual teachers' professional autonomy. In this article, I suggest that the ways in which subject knowledge has been treated in research-based recipes for…

This paper highlights digitally literate, in-service teachers in leading edge schools in Norway and focuses on how they, in their professional development, adapt digital literacy. Today we find a consensus among policy-makers, researchers, teacher-educators and teachers that digital literacy must be given high priority and needs to be explored…

In this article, the author profiles Charles Dickens Elementary School in Vancouver, British Columbia, a school that dares to be different from the rest. This elementary school operates on a child-centered, multi-aged framework that is based on belief in an orientation towards continuous progress, appropriate evaluation of progress, schoolwide…

Organizational theorists have long pondered answers to the question of how best to move people toward effective purpose. This paper synthesizes literature that focuses on ways to promote autonomy among workers. The autonomous worker chooses practical efficiency and moral responsibility. Findings are listed in the following areas: motivation and…

This case study using pseudonyms was prepared for class discussion in training teachers and administrators who have some responsibility for building-level policy. Big Mountain is a well-established, comprehensive high school that served over 1,450 students in grades 10-12. Considerable autonomy is given to teachers, who have control their teaching…

Although all practicing psychologists share common ethical concerns, the industrial/organizational (I/O) psychologist has additional concerns which are unique to his discipline. The institutional setting of his practice both isolates him from role models and professional colleagues and threatens his identity as a psychologist. In the organization,…

The Effective Teacher Training Program in North Carolina is based upon correlational studies primarily limited to the areas of reading, math and language knowledge and to learning outcomes that consist of basic skills, factual knowledge, and concept name identification. Despite warnings against overgeneralization within the studies themselves, the…

What is the intersection between women's studies and academic freedom? How does the work that is done by women's studies educators, the development of both new courses and programs, and the transformation of the traditional curriculum to make it more inclusive of the concerns of women and other minorities, impact on academic freedom--the basis of…

The aim of this paper is to explore the process by which the high school teacher lost his position of power and privilege and to consider the implications of this process for a fuller understanding of the history of schooling during the period of decline. This change is analyzed by looking in both the earlier and later periods at three different…

This issue of the "Professions Education Research Notes" is devoted to the theme of "The Future of Educational Research in the Professions." Four articles have been extracted from the issue to form this document: "The Future of Educational Research in the Professions," by Carole J. Bland, introduces the other articles and describes, as context for…

Mentoring is a form of adult socialization for professional-level and leadership roles, and plays a critical part in developing leadership for the academic administration of colleges and universities. Sexism in these high level positions means that men, who are most likely to be mentors, choose other men as proteges, leaving women without access…

Attitudes of 277 faculty members about their work were surveyed in 1983. Herzberg and colleagues' theory that work satisfaction stems from the work itself and dissatisfaction from the work environment was also explored. Attention was directed to attitudes toward work, job stress, overall job satisfaction, and chief job satisfactions and…

While history helps to trace the development of the American public school as a bureaucratic institution and the role of teachers within that institution, a more sociological view helps to clarify the authority relationships within the school and the teacher's role within that structure. It is the teacher's willingness to claim autonomy based…

In a study on school effectiveness, a random sample of more than 10,000 teachers from 538 high schools were surveyed to examine the climate of American high schools. Based on teacher reports, school climate measures were developed and related to schools and teachers. Methodology and results are discussed. (JL)