Who Controls Teachers' Work?: Power and Accountability in America's Schools
Advocates of school reform often decry an alleged lack of  teacher accountability. Some critics propose more centralized  control of teachers by administrative or governmental entities;  others believe that schools need to be decentralized, with more  local input from parents and community members. Ingersoll  (sociology & education, Univ. of Pennsylvania) refutes both  these views, using results from national surveys and his own  field research. His data show that teachers already have too  little say in key social aspects of school life, including  disciplinary procedures and student tracking. It only makes  sense, he argues, to give teachers more, not less, control over  the areas for which they are held accountable. A  teacher-turned-sociologist, Ingersoll contends that only those  who work in a school can grasp the nuances of its organizational  structure; outsiders, be they parents, bureaucrats, or  politicians, should not dictate the distribution of power. While  he makes a good case for increasing teacher involvement, his  obvious sympathy for the teachers' point of view may undermine  his credibility with those who see teachers as convenient  scapegoats in the school-reform debate. Recommended for academic  libraries.Susan M. Colowick, North Olympic Lib. Syst., Port  Angeles, WACopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.