IP 92-1 Connecting genuine teacher development to the struggle for social justice.
Abstract
This paper discusses two issues which continue to undermine the authenticity and social value of efforts to promote teacher development. First, it is argued that underneath the rhetoric of many current efforts to empower teachers to take control of their own professional development is a reality in which teachers remain extremely limited in the scope of their power to influence the conditions of their work. Second, it is argued that even when efforts to promote teacher development are not illusory, teacher development often becomes an end in itself unconnected to broader questions about education in a democratic society. The author argues for efforts to promote teacher development which is both genuine and connected to the promotion of equity and social justice.