This article brings together an overview of ideas about teacher learning from both teacher education and workplace learning literature, and examines what and how newly qualified secondary school teachers learn in the early years of their career. We discuss the types of knowledge new teachers encounter and present a typology of teacher learning.…

Many recent school-reform efforts have called for increasing decision-making power at the local school level. This report examines state differences in the amount of control that public school teachers believe they have over establishing curriculum; selecting textbooks and other instructional materials; and selecting topics, content, and skills to…

During the mid- to late-1990s, the declining economy in Nova Scotia led to a reduction in the number of school boards and the closure or amalgamation of smaller schools. This paper presents findings from the first phase of a longitudinal case study that explored the amalgamation of five elementary schools in Gold Cove, Nova Scotia. The study uses…

During 1989, the administration of the New Zealand education system underwent the most dramatic change since its inception as a national system in 1889. The changes affected principals, who took on greatly expanded managerial responsibilities while continuing their traditional role of professional leadership. Principals were also responsible to…

This essay, originally written by Immanuel Kant in 1798, and presented in both the original German and in facing page English translation, is the first paperback printing of the edition published by Abaris Books, Inc., in 1979. The book is composed of three parts, written at different times, but all dealing with the conflict between the…

This study describes significant issues and learnings identified by 26 school faculties engaged in site-based, faculty-led reform initiatives over a 5-year period during participation in the National Education Association's Mastery in Learning (MIL) Project. A representative sample of MIL sites is utilized to reframe issues and learnings into…

This brief report summarizes a longer document with the same title in the ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report series. Academic freedom provides the foundation for faculty scholarship and teaching, making it possible for educators to exchange ideas and concepts freely in the classroom, to explore and disseminate new knowledge, and to speak out both…

This report synthesizes the literature and applicable case law concerning academic freedom in higher education and addresses the following issues: (1) popular notions concerning academic freedom; (2) whether academic freedom is a legal right; (3) whether faculty at private institutions have the same rights as faculty in public schools; and (4)…

Issues of accountability in enterprises that provide educational services at the individual and institutional levels are explored in this paper. Two conceptions of accountability are addressed: accountability as measurement and as ethics. A major source of confusion is the disagreement between the two ways of thinking about the meaning and…

Elements of educational quality and ways in which quality is estimated are identified, with specific attention to conditions that are prerequisite to achieving high levels of quality in universities. The quality of a university may be estimated by examining prestigous institutions based on reputational studies, by quantitative descriptions of…

Local boards of education have the responsibility and authority for operating local school systems, but in a system of any size authority must be delegated. Unlike factories, schools cannot be run from the top down. The health of the schools is determined directly by and in proportion to the extent that principals and teachers have a voice in…

A working symposium, consisting of 100 persons from many different professions and perspectives, brainstormed for three days about ways in which to make teaching more of a profession. This report presents the symposium participants' vision and action plan for the K-12 teaching profession in California. Reasons why change is needed in the teaching…

Principals wish to foster both staff motivation and student achievement in their schools, yet research reveals a seeming contradiction between these two goals. Fredrick Herzberg found in the late 1950's and 1960's that in various occupations, employees' motivation depended primarily on their sense of: the significance of their work, achievement,…

For the brightest students the most significant reasons why they won't teach relate to frustrating working conditions, bureaucratic requirements, the lack of professional control, and few opportunities for intellectual growth, as well as these students' intolerance for diversity in the workplace and their perception of teaching as a "boring…

Describes one school system's experiment in allowing teachers to decide what materials and services to buy for their classes, thereby enabling them to enjoy some financial and professional benefits of private practice while retaining the security of the traditional teacher contract. Discusses potential problems and ways to overcome them. (IW)