For today's public school teachers, unlike most professionals, years employed rather than performance determines where they work, how much they are paid, and whether they can be fired. To achieve professionalism teachers will need to jettison the tactics of industrial-style unionism in favor of organizations more like the medieval guilds. (MLF)

Traditionalists and progressives coexist warily in today's public schools, creating fragmented institutions with no common ethos. Letting teachers start their own schools may bring an end to the pedagogical holy wars. (Author)