Richard Ingersoll, Harvard University Press
February 2003
As standards-based reforms spread, much attention has been given to whether teachers should be held accountable for the performance of their students and, if so, how. On one side are policymakers who argue that teachers have tremendous freedom in their classrooms and have seldom been held responsible for their results. On the other side are those, often members of the education establishment, who contend that teachers are knowledgeable professionals who need to be empowered to do what they think is best for their students and are already hampered by too many restrictions. In this new 300-page book, Penn's Richard Ingersoll says both sides are wrong. Using language drawn from organization theory, he shows that schools are far more complex institutions than those on either side of the "teacher autonomy" debate realize. Ingersoll gathers data from numerous surveys as well as case studies to demonstrate that contemporary teachers do not simply shut the classroom door and exert total control. Rather, they're governed by any number of formal and informal controls which limit both their autonomy and their effectiveness. In particular, Ingersoll argues that teachers lack control over key decisions regarding social aspects of their work, including student discipline and pupil assignment, control that would both lift their job satisfaction and allow them to provide better instruction. There is much to quibble with in Ingersoll's account, including his views on the rules created by collective bargaining, his willingness to let achievement take a backseat to the socializing role of school, and his assessment of the quality of teachers and teacher training. That said, especially for those who have not worked in schools, his observations about control - e.g. his explanation of how principals use classroom and committee assignments, extracurricular duties, schedules, and student load to control teachers - are a solid, sobering introduction to the inner workings of those institutions. Regrettably, he offers no innovative policy recommendations, only a warning against the possible weaknesses and misunderstandings implicit within the current education reform efforts. For ordering information, go to http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/INGWHO.html.
