Contends that teachers are routinely given a mandate to train that requires following administrative dictates without question, constraining independent thought and action. Proposes that teachers be given instead a charter to educate, in which they are encouraged and expected to challenge normative practices and policies. (Author/SK)

Describes the advantages of charter schools, which are started by individuals or groups in the community and can set their own educational agendas and goals. More states are passing or expanding charter school laws every year. Benefits include autonomy, site-based management, increased parental involvement, and increased teacher control.…

Analyzed the impact of autonomy and collegiality on elementary teachers' professional development. Data from interviews, questionnaires, document analyses, and observations indicated that autonomy and collegiality appeared in various forms in relationships among the teachers, with certain forms of autonomy and collegiality, and certain…

Reflects on teachers' diverse decision-making systems. Matching teachers' beliefs, or frameworks, to the programs they are asked to use is crucial to success and sustainability. Incompatible programs and curricula that are forced on teachers will not succeed. Examples of "teacher-proof" programs illustrate this viewpoint. (CDS)

Surveyed administrators of branch campuses, in part, on the characteristics of faculty. Respondents were asked about full- to part-time faculty ratios, hiring practices, governance, tenure, resources, and faculty attitudes regarding working conditions. Findings included a much higher percentage of part-time faculty at branch campuses, and that…

Analysis of other national systems of education identified factors that may explain the low ranking of U.S. students in achievement. Other nations emphasize clear priorities and accountability, school autonomy over personnel and operations, teacher discretion over teaching methods, and more time spent studying. (SK)

This paper aims to contribute to the limited literature on teacher job satisfaction in developing countries, especially in Cyprus. Drawing on interviews with 52 teachers and administrators in 17 schools, the paper describes the sources of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction of Cypriot teachers and the impact on how teachers feel. Teachers…

The purpose of this study was to explore Kanter's Theory of Structural Power in Organizations, using school nurses and to answer the research question of whether there is a relationship between empowerment and autonomy in school nurses. This study found a positive relationship between the nurses' perceptions of empowerment and autonomy. The school…

When the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) decided to remove the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) from its list of censured colleges, an opportunity was created for VCCS colleges to examine anew the status of academic freedom. The 1972 decision to abolish tenure within the VCCS had been viewed by some faculty as a direct…

This article explores the issues of trust, control, professional autonomy and accountability in higher education quality assurance in the UK. The main part of this article is conceptual, but it includes results from semi-structured interviews with academic staff that were conducted at two "new university" business schools. Both…

In this paper transitions in the operational definitions of professionalism over the last 20 years will be discussed. As a consequence of (imposed) changes in the control of curriculum and assessment and increased measures of public accountability, teachers in most countries now work within cultures in which their careers are ever more dependent…

Using a narrative inquiry methodology, this 10-year study examined the situated nature of two teachers' development. Research questions examined how the teachers situated their own learning, how they developed discourse communities for teaching and learning, and how they used tools in their work. Findings suggest that the following elements of…

Assistant principals are in a precarious position. Although assistant principals are relied on to take over when the principal is out of the building, they are often viewed simply as disciplinarians. To change this perception, the author has learned that he needs to pave his own way by implementing activities and procedures that let others know…

Due to conceptualizations of autonomy as detachment and independence, research on the parenting-autonomy relationship in adolescence has yielded inconsistent results. In the present study, self-determination is proposed as an alternative way of tapping into the construct of autonomy. An integrated model of the relationships between perceived…

The last two decades have been witness to the introduction of a series of interlocking government-led initiatives ostensibly designed to establish and raise performance standards in teaching and learning. These include target-setting, assessments, appraisals, performance management systems and performance thresholds. Such measures have often been…