Teachers Versus Technocrats / Edition 272

by Harry F. Wolcott, Max G. Abbott

Overview

In Teachers Versus Technocrats, author Harry Wolcott draws on his dual perspective as an educator and an anthropologist to provide a unique and penetrating look at the dynamics of a federally funded research and development project and to analyze what happened when university researchers and school district administrators attempted to introduce an experimental planning and evaluation system in an operating school district. Based on three years of research in which Wolcott uses a variety of anthropological field techniques, this study into the school's SPECS (School Planning, Evaluation, and Communication System) program reveals insight into the project's impact on teachers and administrators and analyzes the basic cultural patterns and relationships among educators. Originally published in 1977, this new edition includes an updated preface by the author and should be valuable to educators and anthropologists alike.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780759105270
Publisher:	AltaMira Press
Publication date:	07/01/2003
Edition description:	Updated Edition
Pages:	276
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.88(d)

About the Author

Harry F. Wolcott (1929-2012) was professor emeritus in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Oregon and a leading author in anthropology and research methods. Wolcott's major works include anthropological studies of American education: Teachers Versus Technocrats and The Man in the Principal's Office: An Ethnography. He also wrote extensively on fieldwork and writing: Transforming Qualitative Data; The Art of Fieldwork; Ethnography: A Way of Seeing; and Writing Up Qualitative Data and is the author of the more recent Sneaky Kid and Its Aftermath: Ethics and Intimacy in Fieldwork (all published by AltaMira Press).

Table of Contents

Part 1 Preface, 2003 Part 2 Foreword Part 3 About the Author Part 4 Introduction: Bias at Work: Proceed with Caution Part 5 Part I. The Case Study as an Event Chapter 6 Chapter 1: Challenge: The Project's Early Days Chapter 7 Chapter 2: Response: The Pilot Study's Early Days Chapter 8 Chapter 3: Challenge: The Pilot Study's Later Days Chapter 9 Chapter 4: Response: The Project's Later Days Part 10 Part II. The Case Study as a Class of Events Chapter 11 Chapter 5: Moieties: A Perspective for Analysis Chapter 12 Chapter 6: Moieties in Traditional Anthropological Literature Part 13 Part III. Educator Moieties: An Analysis of the Case and Examination of Education Subculture Chapter 14 Chapter 7: Educator Moieties: An Overview Chapter 15 Chapter 8: Educator Moieties: Antithesis and Rivalry Chapter 16 Chapter 9: Educator Moieties: Reciprocity Chapter 17 Chapter 10: Educator Moieties: Complementarity Chapter 18 Chapter 11: Summing Up

Editorial Reviews

Wolcott's characteristic 'left-to-the-jaw' style of humor enlivens this important and pessimistic account of the unbelievable stressful things that educators do to educators in the process of innovation and development. This book surely must be read by every educator, whether teacher or technocrat, whether of higher education or common school sort, now under siege by quality-eschewing, quantifying, input-output budgeting systems, and their legislator proponents.
— Jacquetta Hill

American Anthropologist

Educational administrators from budding principals up should read this book, as should anyone interested in the sociology of schools, the way schools operate, and the ways changes can or cannot be made in schools.
— R. A. McDonald

Interchange

Rich in ethnographic detail, the book provides an incredible array of insights. Wolcott's systematic analysis of teacher and technocrats is fascinating, as well as critical to an understanding and appreciation of the world of the school.
— Arnold J. Keller & Maribeth Durst

The Elementary School Principal

The descriptive narrative is lively, fast paced, and sprinkled with fine irony. It is, in brief, a masterful piece of ethnography.
— Paul A. Pohland & Carolyn J. Wood

Educational Researcher

Wolcott's characteristic 'left-to-the-jaw' style of humor enlivens this important and pessimistic account of the unbelievable stressful things that educators do to educators in the process of innovation and development. This book surely must be read by every educator, whether teacher or technocrat, whether of higher education or common school sort, now under siege by quality-eschewing, quantifying, input-output budgeting systems, and their legislator proponents.

American Anthropologist - Jacquetta Hill

Educational administrators from budding principals up should read this book, as should anyone interested in the sociology of schools, the way schools operate, and the ways changes can or cannot be made in schools.

Interchange - R. A. McDonald

Rich in ethnographic detail, the book provides an incredible array of insights. Wolcott's systematic analysis of teacher and technocrats is fascinating, as well as critical to an understanding and appreciation of the world of the school.

The Elementary School Principal - Arnold J. Keller & Maribeth Durst

The descriptive narrative is lively, fast paced, and sprinkled with fine irony. It is, in brief, a masterful piece of ethnography.

Educational Researcher - Paul A. Pohland & Carolyn J. Wood