Initiatives such as Race to the Top introduce new statistics and accountability systems to gauge what constitutes "good" teaching, both from an administrative standpoint and the perspective of teacher training programs. Drawing on the philosophical strategies of Ludwig Wittgenstein to break down the guiding assumptions of Race to the Top, this volume explores both the positive and the negative aspects of these policies. It then proposes a different view of teaching and learning which considers how to effectively address the problems Race to the Top seeks to confront.

Introduction 1. Duncan's Speeches on Race to the Top and the Assumptions of the Reform Movement 2. Teacher Knowledge, Teacher Practice 3. Best Practices and Artificial Intelligence 4. Teacher Practices and Accounts of Rule-Following 5. A Phenomenological Account of Skill Development 6. Achievement Data and Matters of Inference in Teacher Evaluation 7. The Non-Formalizable and Teacher Evaluation 8. Schwab's Deliberation and the Responsiblities of Teacher Evaluation Conclusion: Courage, Conviction, Evaluation

Derek Gottlieb is a research fellow in the English department of the University of Basel in Switzerland. He holds PhDs in English Literature and in Education. He has published on teacher training and educational evaluation; his next book will explore theories of Shakespearean comedy.