By conducting in-depth interviews with new teachers who are about to become full-time teachers and then reinterviewing them two years later, the author of this article presents how beginning teachers think and feel about teaching and describes the challenges they face as beginning teachers in the context of Hong Kong. The stories of the teachers,…

In a recent article published in "The New York Times," Bill Keller has criticized the role of schools of education in the development of teachers. Beyond pointing out the hurtfulness of the all-too-familiar litany of insults, this article attempts to correct Mr. Keller's assertions and arguments and seeks furthermore to portray the…

In the spring of 2012 students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Education received national attention when they refused to participate in the field test of a teacher performance assessment being run by Pearson Incorporated and Stanford University. Students, led by their professor, demanded they be given informed consent about…

Scoring SAT-style exam essays, John S. O'Connor is struck by the disconnection between the subject matter and students' personal lives. Further, O'Connor notes that such tests draw an alarming distinction between writing and "content"--as if the two are unrelated. O'Connor calls for a broader understanding of literacy, and he warns of dire…

This article is about storytelling. In an effort to open opportunities similar to what we experienced while we were in school, many among the education professorate seem to have adopted well-used and familiar "academic" models of seminar instruction virtually unaltered from their experiences as graduate students. One suspects, however, that there…

In this essay, a high school senior reflects on her educational experience as a journey beginning with her difficult decision to stay at Francis W. Parker School for high school and ending with her current search for a college where she can continue to explore the nature of education. Her narrative focuses on her experience in an elective course…

This article connects the theoretical perspective of Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed with the teaching and learning styles of teachers and students at Central Park East Secondary School (CPESS) in East Harlem, New York. It examines some of the ways the Freireian model has worked within the public school system and considers some of the…

Concerns about the future rightly focus on the enterprise of education. The quality of that enterprise rests on our ability to conceive in the present the capacities and abilities that will sustain and enrich the future lives of our students. The minds considered here are discrete accomplishments that young people should be able to find and…

In order to meet the needs of evolving school leaders, university professors and others who provide professional development must rethink and expand their roles. Based on experiences as instructors in a leadership development program, the authors had the opportunity to explore and understand more fully how leaders grow. This article describes our…