Teacher Isolation and the New Reform

This reaffirmation of teachers has been a leading factor in the development of recent strategies for school improvement The reports by the Carnegie Task Force and the Holmes Group are two prominent examples of proposals aimed specifically at problems within the teaching profession. These reports are significant in that they have helped place teaching squarely at the center of current educational policy and debate. The focus of this article-teacher isolation-has remained largely in the shadows of this "new reform" movement. Nevertheless, the isolation of teachers should be of primary concern to policymakers for at least two reasons. First, past research indicates that isolation is a widespread characteristic of professional life in schools. Second, because isolation restricts opportunities for professional growth, it represents a potential barrier to the implementation of reform initiatives. , My purpose in this article is to critically examine the nature of teacher isolation. First, I will identify two common perspectives drawn from the research on teacher isolation and show how each perspective is based on a