The language of reform and teachers’ work

This chapter explores the ways in which the language of educational reform and improvement shapes and frames teachers’ work. Building on previous discussions of ‘teacher quality’ and compliance and power, we use the theory of practice architectures to argue that the language of reform and improvement impacts the cultural-discursive, material-economic and social-political arrangements that enable and constrain the characteristic sayings, doings and relatings of teachers in multiple contexts. We use professional teaching standards from Australia, the US and England as reference points for this argument.