The ability to generate and process information, and hence the availability of knowledge has increasingly shifted to the foreground of the new knowledge societies. At the same time, traditional systems of knowledge production (science) and knowledge reception (professions) are subjected to a steady loss of legitimacy. Within this context,…

This paper examines recent education and teacher education reforms in the USA and Namibia and analyzes two tensions that have been a central part of debates about teacher quality and teacher education in many parts of the world: whether we should prepare teachers as technicians or as reflective practitioners; and whether we should prepare teachers…

Self-determination theory posits that individuals who have basic psychological needs satisfied while engaging in an activity will be more likely to value and persist in that activity. Scholars in this area have also posited that autonomy-supportive social contexts are top-down determinants of individual need satisfaction. To understand better the…

This article uses Andrew Abbott's concept of jurisdictional challenge to analyze the current challenges facing university-based teacher educators. The author suggests that teacher educators are dangerously close to losing jurisdiction over two key professional tasks--the preparation of new professionals and the production of academic knowledge for…

The purpose of this research was to study the development, implementation, assessment, and revision of an integrated social justice curriculum with the goal of providing an understanding of the elements which supported and hindered social justice education from the perspective of an elementary school teacher. The research procedures used in this…

The present paper examines efforts by government and government agencies in England to prescribe and control the knowledge base of a teaching profession that has, under successive New Labour administrations since 1997, been subjected to "modernisation". A theoretical framework drawn from aspects of the work of Basil Bernstein, and of Rob…

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether Exemplary, Recognized and Acceptable schools differ in their school climates, as measured by the 10 dimensions of the Organizational Health Inventory. Significant differences were found on all 10 dimensions of the Organizational Health Inventory, with Exemplary schools out-performing Acceptable…

Prue Gill calls for a national English curriculum that appreciates the complex relationship between curriculum and assessment, one that is supported by strong government investment in professional learning, and one that will enable young people to imagine a different future from that which has been imagined for them by their elders.

The Supreme Court first affirmed the importance of academic freedom in 1957. Yet in subsequent cases, First Amendment precedent has displaced the concept of academic freedom to resolve disputes among competing interests on public campuses, primarily in favor of institutions. This paper draws on the concepts of path dependence and policy space to…

Members of the teaching profession have been assuming more responsibility for their own work and seeking professional self-governance. Legislation enacted by at least 33 states has legalized the rights of professionals to take part in making decisions about requirements for entering the teaching profession, as well as improving the performance of…

Outlines how a Colorado high school individualized a "packaged" instructional supervision system and increased student achievement and teacher autonomy while developing positive relationships among teachers, students, and administrators. (MD)

This paper argues that educational reform must view education in its broadest cultural context and avoid narrow aims. The current reform thrust is driven by conservative instincts and destined further to mechanize and routinize the teaching role. True reform would empower teachers as transformative intellectuals. (Author/MT)

An attempt to define the goals of teacher supervision discusses five premises of supervision that must shift if the goals are to include encouraging teachers to be reflective, thoughtful, and empowered. (Author/CB)

This interview with Ernest Boyer focuses on the role of the teacher. How a teacher envisions the professional role determines the degree of creativity, excitement, and freedom within that role. Teachers need to be very clear, singleminded, and determined about moving in a better direction. (MT)

Presents general problems with current conceptualizations of interprofessional education and practice. Identifies specific obstacles in implementing integration between disparate professional groups. Professional isolationist attitudes, nonsupportive organizations, lack of consumer awareness and demand, and the ineffective role of higher education…