Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This provocative text offers an inside look at the hidden dimensions of teaching. Sometimes controversial, always poignant, the book examines highly debated issues fundamental to a free and open society. School reform is at a critical juncture; the portrait of the profession revealed here serves as a catalyst for change. Chapters discuss such timely and relevant topics as the preparation of teachers past and present, the daily work of teachers, and the influence of current policy on public education.

Teaching our children is a shared responsibility. The work of teaching described in this book demonstrates clearly that there is much work to be done by all involved. This book will inform and empower a wide range of readers including those considering careers in teaching, those who have children in school, who vote and pay taxes, work in schools, influence policy, or those who are business leaders.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Acknowledgments
• Illustrations
• Series Preface
• Foreword
• Introduction
• In Search of a Profession: A History of American Teachers
• Teacher Preparation-Transition and Turmoil
• Teachers as Leaders, Teachers as Researchers, Teachers who Care: The University of Connecticut's Journey
• Walk a Mile in Their Shoes: A Day in the Life of Professional Educators
• Key Challenges for Teachers: Windows into the Complexity of American Classrooms
• Technology and Professional Development
• "Highly Qualified" Teachers and the Teaching Profession :Policy Lessons from the Field
• What's Next? Challenges and Opportunities Facing Teachers and the Teaching Profession