The Politics Of Professionalism

Many commentators feared that the Education Reform Act of 1988 sounded the death knell for teacher professionalism in Britain. More than a decade later, however, professionalism appears to have staged a miraculous recovery: David Blunkett says that 'it is back at the very heart of teaching'. But what kind of professionalism is this? In whose interest is its recovery. and what effects will it have? And how does this development relate to changes in edict countries and other professions? The Politics of Professionalism provides authoritative answers to these questions. It does so by setting the debates in their historical context and by drawing on detailed research findings on teachers' experience of work arid education, especially the curriculum, in the current era. In the process, this book makes a major contribution to our understanding of the politics, history and sociology of teaching and the other professions.

This book examines the role of increased professionalism in the growth of both the Republican and Democratic national parties, beginning with Republican National Committee Chairman Ray C. Bliss in the 1960s. It analyzes how an increased application of professional values has contributed to the continued growth of national party organizations, despite recurring constraints in party policymaking. Contributors: John F. Bibby, Stephen H. Frantzich, John C. Green, James L. Guth, Jon F. Hale, Tim Hames, Paul S. Herrnson, Robert J. Huckshorn, John H. Kessel, Philip A. Klinkner, Joseph I. Lieberman, David Menefee-Libey, Lawrence F. O'Brien, Arthur L. Peterson, John J. Pitney, Jr., George C. Roberts, Frederick M. Wirt. Co-published with the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics.

"An alternative proposal for the education of librarians, emphasizing general knowledge and intellectual rigor and discouraging careerism"--Provided by publisher.

This dynamic volume illustrates the expanded notion of "political" that has evolved as a result of the women's movement. Rich in analysis and description, the chapters offer clear-cut policy proposals and new conceptualizations of organizational frameworks and concepts that have consequence for the lives of women and men in such areas as the staging of careers, the division of labor in family and professional settings, and nepotism. Contributors focus on the interconnections between traditional political behavior and the larger social context in which it is played out. The Politics of Professionalism, Opportunity, Employment, and Gender presents a current and realistic picture of the complexity of the political processes and a better sense of the less obvious elements that determine the political process.

During the 1990s, reforms in the English legal profession transformed traditions, over the vigorous objections of the judiciary, Bar, and Law Society. This book mines that tumultuous period for insights into the prospects of professionalism in the 21st century.

Lawyers in the United States are frequently described as "hired guns," willing to fight for any client and advance any interest. Claiming that their own beliefs are irrelevant to their work, they view lawyering as a technical activity, not a moral or political one. But there are others, those the authors call cause lawyers, who refuse to put aside their own convictions while they do their legal work. This "deviant" strain of lawyering is as significant as it is controversial, both in the legal profession and in the world of politics. It challenges mainstream ideas of what lawyers should do and of how they should behave. Human rights lawyers, feminist lawyers, right-to-life lawyers, civil rights and civil liberties lawyers, anti-death penalty lawyers, environmental lawyers, property rights lawyers, anti-poverty lawyers—cause lawyers go by many names, serving many causes. Something to Believe In explores the work that cause lawyers do, the role of moral and political commitment in their practice, their relationships to the organized legal profession, and the contributions they make to democratic politics.

The Politics of Teacher Professional Development: Policy, Research and Practice provides innovative insights into teachers’ continuing development and learning in contemporary western contexts. Rather than providing a list of "how-tos" and "must dos," this volume is premised on the understanding that by learning more about the current conditions under which teachers and other educators work and learn, it is possible to understand, and consequently improve, the learning opportunities teachers experience. Teacher professional development is not simply construed as an isolated series of events, such as day-long workshops marking the beginning of each school year or term, or individualistic "one-off" activities focused on new teaching approaches, curricula or assessment strategies. Rather, through application of sociologist Pierre Bourdieu’s understanding of social practices as contested, teacher professional development is revealed as a complex social practice which exists as policy, as a research product and process, and as an important part of teachers’ work. The book reveals how PD as policy, research and teachers’ work are inherently contested. An extended series of case studies of teacher professional development practices from Canada, England and Australia are employed to show how these tensions play out in complex ways in policy and practice.

This text provides insights into teachers' continuing development and learning in contemporary western contexts. This volume is premised on the understanding that by learning more about the conditions under which teachers work and learn, it is possible to understand the learning opportunities teachers experience.