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This review has been accessed times since April 20, 2009

Tatto, Maria Teresa (Ed.) (2007). Reforming Teaching Globally. Oxford, United Kingdom: Symposium Books Pp. 280         ISBN 978-1-873927-75-5

Reviewed by Sarah A. Robert & Amanda S. Smith
University at Buffalo

April 20, 2009

Reforming Teaching Globally begins with the promise of shedding light on how teaching is affected by the movement of education policy discourses of restructuring, accountability, achievement, and quality around the globe. In ten national contexts, readers are introduced to the ways local and global forces interact to affect teachers and conceptualizations of their profession. “At this time of vigorous change in education and particularly in teacher-related policy,” Tatto argues that “international comparisons are essential to explore how the multiplicity of forces unleashed by ongoing global educational reforms are currently affecting teachers and teaching” (p. 7). Indeed, a strength of this compilation is the focus on one particular policy discourse—accountability, in all ten chapters, providing ample data to compare and contrast national-level reform processes toward theorizing global education reform’s impact on teaching.

Curricular standards, high-stakes testing, new teacher credentials, institutional accreditation, and performance incentives all are aimed at holding teachers responsible for their students’ achievement. Accountability mechanisms may not be new to education systems, but the number of them at multiple levels of educational institutions and the demand for change in a “crisis mode” is noteworthy. With the demand for more accountability mechanisms arising in a context of educational crisis, educational and political decision-makers seek out reforms from nations whose students are performing better on international assessments (e.g., TIMSS and PISA exams). The urgency to address a crises mentality often means that policies remain “general and acontextual” (p. 10), removed from local ideas about the purpose and function of education. The chapters illustrate the impact decontextualized accountability standards have on the epistemological foundations of national education systems: What knowledge should be taught in this so-called moment of globalization? Who is qualified to teach this knowledge? How should the “ideal teacher” (p. 15) be educated?

This compilation makes clear that accountability schemes merit further scrutiny, particularly from national perspectives. However the argument of the book (explicitly stated on page 15) does not push aside the fact that intensive educational restructuring takes place in a globalization era. Tatto situates the national-level teacher reforms within a broader global process of restructuring economic, political, and social institutions. It is the last group of institutions into which teacher education and teacher’s work is situated and thus Tatto astutely pushes the reader to contemplate the multiple meanings of “social” and how globalization forces shape those meanings. How are globalization era reforms affecting different societies’ definitions of “the ideal person” and the “ideal teacher for the ideal person” (author’s emphasis, p. 15)? The thesis of the book, clearly stated near the beginning of the introduction, is that decontextualized accountability measures for teachers and teaching are “taking control of education away from teachers and teacher educators . . . and eliminating the very mechanisms that can help teachers to effectively increase education quality” (p. 13).

Maria Teresa Tatto

The book would fit well within comparative and international education courses, particularly courses focused on globalization and education policy, or teacher education courses aimed at understanding reform trends affecting teacher education and the teaching profession worldwide. This edited collection has a simple and straightforward format: a short introduction, ten chapters, and a short conclusion. In eleven pages, Tatto outlines an approach to understanding worldwide teacher reform as part of a process of changing the philosophical ideals undergirding national education projects. By focusing the reader on one facet of reform, accountability measures, she suggests that her compilation will show how changes to teaching look from national and global perspectives. The book’s ten chapters are divided equally between two parts. Part I of the book is titled “Reform Emphasising Increased Control over Teachers’ Work and Performance.” This section introduces the reader to China, Germany, Bulgaria, Canada, and then to the United States. Part II is titled “Reform Emphasising Teachers’ Professional Knowledge and Discretion.” In this section the reader travels to Mexico, Chile, Japan, the Philippines, and Guinea. (Each chapter is described below.) A brief conclusion, authored by Tatto and David N. Plank, follows the ten chapters.

Our review continues with a brief introduction to the ten national cases, presented in the order they are arranged in the book. We provide subtitles to denote the division of the chapters into the two book parts. A critical analysis of the book’s ability to meet its intended goal is presented afterward.

Reforms Emphasising Increased Control over Teachers’ Work and Performance

Dilemmas in Reforming China’s Teaching: Assuring “Quality” in Professional Development. The thesis of this chapter resides in the struggle China faces not only to reform education but to move teachers unwilling to change their old way of behaving and thinking. Of these reforms, China seeks to address the inequalities and lack of opportunity many Chinese face. This chapter therefore, intends to explore the challenges China faces in regards to building new accountability systems to increase the professional development of teachers. Two contrasting vignettes are presented to illustrate the diverse contexts of teachers’ work. Due to it’s size, both in population and land mass, it is difficult to unify teachers’ work across China. These two vignettes speak from the teachers’ perspectives regarding the effect of educational reform. A clear illustration is drawn; despite the countries attempt to unify the educational system, the workload and obstacles teachers face is as varied as the country itself. Depending on what part of the country a teacher works, the experience of teaching and impact of reforms will be very different.

The Impact of Global Tendencies on the German Teacher Education System. The current chapter canvases an illustration on the backdrop in which Germany’s educational system leans. Germany’s educational system has persevered, relatively unchanged through many historical events, including both World Wars. Although once considered a strength of Germany’s educational system, their traditional ways have more recently contributed to reservations to change. In the context of Germany’s historical, political, and socio-economic background, as discussed in the chapter, the country’s fear to change is clear. From this perspective, the current chapter focuses on educational transition that have proceeded (i.e., movement from state to university controlled teacher educational programs, the European Union). Although a thorough analysis is provided, the chapter lacks a personal account of the impact such reforms has had on the lives and work of teachers in Germany today.

The Influence of the World Educational Changes on the Teacher Educational System in Bulgaria . The thesis of the present chapters rests in the exploration of the relative steadiness the Bulgarian educational system has maintained despite both economic changes and decreased social status of teachers. Once highly respectable individuals, the status of Bulgarian teachers’ has diminished. The current chapter seeks to give an explanation to these changes while also discussing the substantial effects on teachers’ pay and school resources. In order to illustrate the changes in the educational system, the reader is given the opportunity to explore a case study pertinent to mathematics teachers. This analysis highlights the Bulgarian philosophy: teachers are to be highly trained as “subject matter specialists” (p. 75), and as a result lack pedagogical training and the limited ability to teach in other subject matters.

Ontario, Canada: The State Asserts Its Voice or Accountability Supersedes Responsibility. The current chapter seeks to explore reforms in education, and specifically the effects on teachers’ lives and work in Ontario. Due to its vast size, Ontario’s educational system has historically been controlled locally and over time more governmental control has been implemented. Thus the present chapter dives into a discussion on how these changes have engendered both purposeful changes (i.e., curriculum development, teacher education) and vicarious changes (i.e., how the increase in professional status of teachers has resulted in a higher level of control over schools). The chapter closes with a discussion on how “accountability regimes in Ontario schooling contributed to or undermined the professional responsibilities of teachers” (p. 112) and provides an excellent assessment of the past and present status of the educational system in Ontario.

The New Accountability and Teachers’ Work in Urban High Schools in the USA. The focus of the current chapter remains in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) regarding the systems of reforms created in order to promote accountability in CPS schools. The chapter presents a discussion on the development of these reforms, stemming in response to the huge deficit CPS school boards faced and subsequent cuts state legislation made. Funding and state aid was thus decreased until CPS was able to increase student performance on standardized testing. In order to speak to the experiences of teachers in CPS schools, the author refers to a high school in which he calls “Colson.” This illustration helps the reader to understand how schools were shaped by the reforms, responded to the accountability mandates, and how these policies changed teachers’ work.

Reforms Emphasizing Teachers’ Professional Knowledge and Discretion

Mexico’s Educational Reform and the Reshaping of Accountability on Teachers’ Development and Work . The present chapter seeks to illustrate the impact of the current decentralization reforms occurring throughout the Mexican educational system. Although the Mexican government still controls many of the administrative (i.e., school calendar, textbooks), educational (i.e., syllabi, curricula), and teacher training (i.e., programs, evaluative procedures) procedures, movement towards local accountability policies exist. Since the quality education received in Mexico is intertwined in the area in which a child lives, the current chapter seeks to discuss the discrepancies that exists impacting teachers; work and the present Mexican educational system. As illustrated, a divergence remains between these changes occurring in law and the implantations of these practices by teachers in the classroom.

Teachers and Accountability: The case of Chile. . The focus of the current chapter is the exploration of measuring and gauging the quality of education in Chile through the use of two “instruments”: a “system of accreditation for undergraduate university programmes, and a system of teacher performance evaluation” (p. 169). These two mechanisms are thus discussed in terms of their ability to increase the quality of education provided in Chile. The author utilizes visualizations through charts and graphs throughout the chapter to help assist the readers’ understanding of the Chilean educational system, teacher standards, and evaluation. The chapter ends with a discussion on what others can learn from the Chilean educational system.

Teacher Accountability and Curriculum Reform in Japan: A multi-level analysis of the "Rainbow Plan." The present chapter provides both a historical perspective and multi-level analysis of the adoption of the “Rainbow Plan” in Japan. As a result of a decreasing population of young adults, concern exists regarding the number of individuals who will enter the work force. Therefore, critical to government reforms is to decrease the pressure and stress many Japanese children are placed under. Such change is taking place through the adoption of the Rainbow Plan. Thus, the current chapter details the goals and policies of the Rainbow Plan, as the Japanese government seeks to move away from the emphasis on test scores and entrance exams and towards a national curriculum that includes “integrated studies” and mandates a shorter school week (i.e., 5 days instead of 5 ½ days). These reforms help to both cut school cost and also reduce the stress and problem behaviors that have emerged in many of the Japanese schools. Strategies, accountability, and implications regarding changes to teachers’ work as a result of the rainbow plan are discussed.

Teacher Education and Accountability Policies for Improving Teaching Effectiveness in the Philippines. The current chapter seeks to illustrate that despite the push from legislation to make education the most important priority for government spending, these efforts paid off in so far as increasing enrollment rates and completion rates through school, but do not increase low test scores. Thus, to this day the Philippines continue to focus their attention on improving their educational system. Reforms regarding accountability, teacher quality, and competence have engendered policies to improve education while also attempting to address “serious gaps and inequities in the distribution of resources and quality” of education that exist in the Philippines (p. 217). As true in many countries, the effects of these policies are not always as in intended. The current chapter seeks to warn the reader of these policies through the context of the Philippian experience.

Accountability in the Context of Teacher Empowerment: The Guinean experience. The current chapter seeks to examine the reform system in Guinea which has predominately focused on the reintegration of French into the school system. Historically, reforms during the socialist Cultural Revolution banned the use of French language, only allowing the use of Guinean to be taught in school. However, after the death of the Guinea leader, Sekou Toure, French has returned to the schools. The reintegration, however, has not happened easily as the French language had not been taught in 16 years. Thus, the current chapter focuses on the implementation of policies that have required the restructuring of curriculum and creation of language upgrading centers. Teachers’ education has mainly focused on the requirement of enrollment in language upgrading centers, and although resistant to this approach more recent reforms have focused on policies regarding the development, training, accountability, and professional practice of teachers in Guinea.

Critical Analysis and Conclusions

As readers make their way through the chapters, the national experiences begin to blend together or overlap into what may be a global narrative of teacher reform. Taking away the different names to the various education laws or reform efforts, national boundaries become fuzzy suggesting a pattern of similar reform, which reflects Tatto’s statements that many proposed changes are not contextualized to the particular national environment. However, differences do exist even when nations elect the same measures to achieve change. Tatto and Plank illustrate the “convergences and divergences in national policy frameworks” in the final concluding section of the same title. There the reader will find a clear visual and narrative map of the similarities and differences across nations (pp. 273-276), which is an important contribution toward theorizing global teaching reform. Still, a global picture of whether or how teaching is changing as a result of shifting conceptualizations of the “ideal person” and the “ideal teacher to teach the ideal person” does not come into focus. How are globalization era reforms affecting different societies’ definitions of “the ideal person” and the “ideal teacher for the ideal person” (author’s emphasis, p. 15)? The authors do not articulate an answer to the question. Nor do the authors use the knowledge found in the chapters to theorize how and why global teaching reform reflects epistemological shifts toward or away from a global imaginary of the “ideal person.”

Why are the ten chapters divided and grouped under the Part I and Part II titles? Though the answer to this question is provided in a diagram on the final pages of the book, a brief introduction to the sections would have pulled the reader along toward understanding the bigger picture and the equally important similarities and differences across nations. Despite the introduction, conclusion, and the book title encouraging the reader to see the global connections between the national investigations, the compilation reads as many books-in-the-making.

In fact, the chapters that remain vivid and differentiated in our minds after reading the compilation are those that dive below the national reform discourse surface to provide a view of education policy from teachers’ perspectives. So much print has been dedicated to tracing out policy discourse, disconnected from the person’s who must interpret and practice the reform in a nation’s classroom. The selections that utilize teachers’ interpretation and practice of reforms—often to compare and contrast intra-national reform processes—contribute important insight on the reform of teachers’ work at the beginning of the twenty-first century and do illustrate who is teaching and how they are trained to educate in a global era. These insights yield vital knowledge of the ways reforms are transformed on the ground into local epistemological understandings of the purpose and aim of education.

In a moment when the publishing complex frowns upon single case studies, particularly outside the United States “case,” the editor (and series editor) should be commended for providing the educational community with in-depth views of national education reforms outside (though including) the United States. The presentation of single-nation cases reveals the importance of national context in shaping education reform discourses into distinct processes of educational change. The compilation provides powerful examples that speak to the continued importance of historical, socio-cultural, political, and economic contexts in shaping teachers’ work, attempts to reform that work, and education, more generally, all the while legitimating global forces part in shaping national reform processes.

Nevertheless, the book is titled such that the reader will pick it up to learn about global trends affecting teaching. The authors collectively share a wealth of knowledge on the topic. The vital work of theorizing the movement, transformation, and differentiation of global teaching reform discourse and text into localities has been left for others to complete. What would that last, desired chapter reveal; or, how does location, such as China, Germany, Bulgaria, Canada, United States, Mexico, Chile, Japan, Philippines, and Guinea, shape global teaching reform discourses and texts? How, in turn, does that transform notions of the ideal person and the ideal teacher for that person on global and local levels?

About the Book Author

Maria Teresa Tatto is an associate professor at the College of Education in Michigan State University. Her research is characterized by the use of an international-comparative framework to study educational reform and educational policy and their impact on schooling--particularly the role of teachers, teaching, and learning - within varied organizational, economic, political, and social contexts. Tatto is currently the director and principal investigator for the Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics or TEDS-M. This is the first comparative large-scale study to examine the institutions, processes and outcomes of teacher preparation and induction in close to twenty countries. This groundbreaking comparative study with a seven-year span (2002-2009) includes countries in Latin America, North America, Europe, Eurasia (Russia), Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The study is sponsored by the IEA and is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the participating countries.

About the Reviewers

Sarah A. Robert is assistant professor at the University at Buffalo’s Graduate School of Education. Her research interests include theorizing social equity in relation to educational labor and education reform in North and South America.

Amanda S. Smith is a doctoral student at the University at Buffalo in the Graduate School of Education. Her research interests include the study of children and adolescents and in particular their emotional regulation and coping strategies in relation to internalizing disorders (i.e., eating disorders).

Copyright is retained by the first or sole author, who grants right of first publication to the Education Review.

Editors: Gene V Glass, Gustavo Fischman, Melissa Cast-Brede

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