This practical volume redefines teaching as a profession with pronounced service and moral dimensions. "The Professional Teacher" shows how this new paradigm can be instilled in teacher education programs and in teaching practice. The authors argue that the practice of teaching requires much more than knowledge and technical competence. It calls for reflection and inquiry, a dedication to democratic principles, and a strong commitment to educational renewal and change. The authors reveal how teacher education can be structured to emphasize the moral and service responsibilities of the profession--especially by forging close ties with local schools and communities--to produce caring and effective teachers. Richly illustrated with research and real-life examples of good practice, "The Professional Teacher" proposes a new standard that focuses on preparing teachers for a climate of school renewal and change.

Introduction: Earning the Right to Teach.

1. Teaching as a Profession in a Democracy: Creating a NewPicture.

2. Cultivating Reflective Practice and Inquiry.

3. Becoming a Teacher: The Moral Dimensions.

4. Creating Educative Communities.

5. The Teacher's Responsibility to Diverse Learners.

6. Enabling Teachers to Assume Leadership Roles.

KAY A. NORLANDER-CASE is associate professor of special education in the School of Education at the University of Connecticut.

TIMOTHY G. REAGAN is professor in the Language, Literacy and Society program in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Connecticut.

CHARLES W. CASE is professor of educational leadership and former dean of the School of Education at the University of Connecticut.