The concepts of four poststructuralist/postmodern authors are examined in terms of their implications for higher education and the academy's values of merit, community, and autonomy. Twelve reactions to postmodern thought are then presented. A summary of postmodernism's legacy for higher education concludes the discussion. (Author/MSE)

A recent National Center for Education Statistics survey indicates inadequate administrative support as the main reason for teacher attrition. In a 1990-91 National Education Association survey, teachers cite incompetent and uncooperative administrators as the greatest hindrance to job performance. Other dissatisfiers include insufficient…

Presents a series of ideas for educational reform, some drawn from the author's previous works. Experimentation is badly needed to see what will work at every level of education. Suggestions include encouragement of single-sex schooling and endorsement of allowing college curricular authority to reside with faculty. (SLD)

This article develops a framework for assessing how differential incentive policies affect teacher commitment and identifies key workplace conditions contributing to commitment. The framework is used to assess effects of such differential incentive policies as merit pay and career ladders. Increasing participation, collaboration, and feedback is…

Faculty members at an elementary school in its first year as a professional development school completed interviews and classroom observations examining how their expectations and aspirations for their role developed over time. Results highlighted five assertions, most of which related to their amount of control over environment and professional…

While early childhood professionals in NSW are accountable to a substantial collection of regulatory requirements, little research has explored the outcomes of this regulatory environment, both intended and otherwise. This paper presents findings from a NSW study and shows how early childhood professionals working in long day care centres perceive…

This bibliography lists articles and books written by both educators and conservative Christians, as well as some books that have been censored by the Religious Right. As many conservative Christians have become more active in politics, they also have become very active in and vocal about public schools. One particular target of criticism in the…

Many teachers with a whole language philosophical orientation question how to cover mandated district objectives using whole language instruction. One problem is that curriculum objectives are usually presented in discrete, isolated fragments. Second, teachers are also expected to document what skills they have covered. Third, specific guidelines…

Certain critical moral questions must be asked and answered before meaningful educational reform can take place in public schooling. This collection of 10 essays discusses the nature and commitments of teaching as a profession and the moral mission of education and its implications for the teaching profession. "Part One: On the Nature and…

In 1985 the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that a Costa Rican statute requiring journalists to be licensed violates the American Convention on Human Rights and, by extension, all human rights conventions. Though press freedom advocates hailed it as a major triumph for freedom of expression, the court's ruling was only advisory and has…

An intensive two-phase study of teachers' unions in three small school districts in southern New York State over a 10-year span investigates the changes within the union movement and assesses the impact of unionization on the school systems. The study discloses that teachers' organizations and the collective bargaining process are subject, over…

This paper shows how, in two suburban high schools, Cherry Glen and Pinehill, teachers' work control interacted with normative and social integration in their effect upon teachers' engagement with their work. In each school, a two-person team initially observed, and later interviewed, eight teachers in English, math, foreign language, social…

The American conception of academic freedom, which is derived from 18th century Germany, is traced, and the issue of the right of academic freedom for religion professors at church-related colleges is explored. A committee of 15 American professors in 1915 proposed a "Declaration of Principles" that endorsed academic freedom but…

Throughout the 20th century, academic freedom was a foundational value for the academy in the United States. The concept of academic freedom pertains to the right of faculty to enjoy considerable autonomy in their research and teaching. The assumption that drives academic freedom is that the country benefits when faculty are able to search for…

Provides a general survey of literature addressing the faculty status issue among academic librarians since 1974. Specific issues discussed include publication/scholarship, governance and collegiality, librarians as teachers, and collective bargaining. (CLB)