The public school system in the United States faces a perpetual challenge in attracting and retaining well-qualified teachers. In
Teachers Wanted: Attracting and Retaining Good Teachers, Daniel A. Heller provides an insider's view of the sources of this ongoing problem--and powerful suggestions for resolving it.
Drawing on national research as well as his own 30 years of experience as a teacher, a principal and an administrator, Heller argues for a new concept of public education, beginning with the nature of teacher training. He advocates partnerships between public schools and higher education to provide a real-world view of the profession to young teacher interns. Within the schools, Heller espouses active gatekeeping by teachers and administrators, effective mentoring between teachers, community induction programs, ongoing inservice training, and high performance standards.
At the heart of many of these changes stands the principal. From upholding the mission of the school, to interviewing and hiring teachers, to empowering staff to make decisions affecting their own work, to creating an atmosphere in the school that fosters professional development, the principal plays a key role in breathing new life into the teaching profession.
We can revitalize teaching--if we are willing to embrace new roles and responsibilities across the educational community. Teachers Wanted offers practical insights into the changes that are essential to building a dynamic, intellectually challenging school environment that will attract and keep the most highly qualified teachers.
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