Conditions in the early childhood profession that contribute to the development of a positive image of child caregivers are discussed. The first step in development of such an image of child care work involves the reaffirmation of the value of caring for and teaching young children. The second step involves examination and reconciliation of biases…

A review of the nature of educational reforms over the years provides evidence that education reform is a recurrent issue, and that the aims and focus of reforms also tend to be cyclical. Two characteristics of reform--programmatic and systemic--are identified, and it is pointed out that the major focus of previous reform cycles has been on…

Three papers have been collected dealing with basic aspects of early childhood education: professionalism, child development, and knowledge dissemination. The first paper, "The Nature of Professions: Where Is Early Childhood Education?" applies eight main features of the concept of a profession to the current state of the art of early…

The writings of Nila Banton Smith, a lifelong teacher, administrator, and specialist in reading instruction, whose publications spanned the years from 1922 to her death in 1976, are listed. The 152 entries are divided into three types: (1) professional publications, designed to improve the profession of teaching reading; (2) instructional…

This discussion of professional ethics for educational technologists argues that such ethics can and should be based, not on public discussion, but on "virtuous behavior," a trait-like behavior that meets or exceeds the commonly held virtues of the profession and is fostered by associations of professionals. Such virtues are based on…

A total of 136 child care workers from licensed day care facilities were surveyed regarding their perceptions of job value, support systems, and indices of professionalism. Overall, younger and older respondents did not differ in their perceptions of job importance or success. They did differ in their ratings of traditional male and female…

This chapter considers the need for professional certification of instructional developers and describes the work of various organizations in this area. The differences between certification, accreditation, and licensure are examined, and the certification efforts of the Division of Instructional Development (DID) of the Association for…

This discussion of the parallel development of instructional development and the professional practices of women instructional developers examines both the three historical phases of the instructional development literature from the 1960s to the 1980s, and the literature of the women's movement for the corresponding period. The first stage is…

The concept of merit compensation is clarified from both administrative and faculty perspectives, and the conceptual sources of the controversy surrounding "merit" are addressed. Using the lexical tradition of the verb "to merit," four distinct semantic components are identified: to earn, to deserve, to value or give preference, and to obtain…

Six symposium papers are included in this document. The first paper, by Henry Chang, is a brief profile of Asian/Pacific American (APA) librarians, emphasizing the need for more data on this group and the need for the group to become more assertive of their rights to equal opportunity in the field. The second paper, by Jane Katayama, addresses…

The disparity between advanced educational preparation and training and subsequent employment opportunities raises major questions regarding traditional academic expectations and lifestyles. (Author)

Presents various points of view on the function of school headmasters as instructional leaders or as management personnel. (WM)

The threefold purpose of this study was to (1) assess the reputation of professional educational and psychological journals from educators' rankings; (2) compare these findings with rankings from psychologists; and (3) compare the rankings made by different educational interest groups. Usable questionnaires were returned by 682 American…

This paper discusses the rationale for faculty rank, status, and tenure for librarians at the College of Charleston. A brief historical overview of the profession of librarianship traces the evolution of the function of the today's librarian as a participant in the processes of teaching and research. Standards for academic status are given, as…

Factor analysis of responses of funeral directors to work orientation items is interpreted first as specifying major orientational themes and second as to how well the theoretical value components of professionalism and a business orientation hold together empirically. (Author)