The Maintenance of Teacher Autonomy in a Policy-Driven Era

Autor/in	Feldmann, Doug
Titel	The Maintenance of Teacher Autonomy in a Policy-Driven Era
Quelle	In: Mid-Western Educational Researcher, 24 (2011) 1, S.2-4 (3 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1056-3997
Schlagwörter	Professional Autonomy; Teaching (Occupation); Reading Materials; Freedom; Teacher Responsibility; Work Ethic; Public Education; Teacher Attitudes; Well Being; Administrators; Creativity; Aspiration; United States + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Berufsfreiheit; Teaching; Lehrberuf; Freiheit; Lehrverpflichtung; Arbeitsethos; Öffentliche Erziehung; Lehrerverhalten; Well-being; Wellness; Wohlbefinden; Kreativität; Streben; USA
Abstract	The author posits that those going into the education field in contemporary times are no longer overly concerned with traditional discouragements such as low salaries; rather, what appears to be desired today by teachers--both novice and veteran--is the "freedom" to make reasonable curricular and instructional choices, and the "administrative support" to enact such choices. When widespread public education began to emerge in the United States in the latter half of the 1800s, teachers often had complete freedom, as the materials and methods utilized often consisted of only what teacher possessed, and the reading material often consisted of what the students could bring from home; now, the author argues that teachers are inching toward the other end of that spectrum, with the day-to-day operations of the school setting being highly-regimented and compartmentalized. Few administrators would argue with the idea of providing their teachers with as much freedom and support as possible--yet, how does one balance these pursuits with an equal measure of alignment and responsibility? The author contends that this lack of freedom and support has contributed to increasing attrition rates in the teaching profession. To accomplish a sense of "purpose" in the profession of teaching--and hence to balance "teacher freedom with teacher responsibility," and hopefully to therefore achieve some means of "well-being" for those in the profession of teaching--the author suggests that the following must be pursued: (1) cultivate creativity; (2) cultivate aspiration; and (3) cultivate a work ethic within a school for teachers and students. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Mid-Western Educational Research Association. P.O. Box 34421, Chicago, IL 60634-0421. Tel: 419-372-7401; Fax: 419-372-2828; e-mail: mer@bgsu.edu; Web site: http://www.mwera.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10