ABSTRACT

While some teachers remain committed to the belief they can shut out change by closing the classroom door, others agree that this is too simple a description of the relationship between their work as teachers and the wider society. As evidence, they point to the dramatic changes occurring outside of the classroom, and the impact on the terms and conditions of their work inside. A quick scan of the educational jargon reveals just how much. Notions such as inputs, equity, centralized bureaucracy, mass education, seniority and unionization which defined post-world-war mass schooling have been replaced by a new language: outputs, performance, added-value, choice, markets, quality, competencies, excellence, flexibility, deregulation, and schoolbusiness partnerships.