Governance and Expertise in the Teaching Profession: An Analysis of Contemporary Japanese Educational Reforms

Abstract

Purpose: This article examines the Japanese teaching profession’s position on current school governance reforms in Japan and the difficulties teachers are facing as the reforms progress. Design/Approach/Methods: This article describes how a policy for developing teacher quality standards tends to suppress teacher independence while increasing the heteronomy of the teaching profession. The article discusses how Japan can meet its goal of ensuring “expertise in the teaching profession” by referring to the relationship between “professionalism” and “publicness” in the theories of occupational sociology. Findings: Expertise in the teaching profession is based on a mixture of academic and practical knowledge. The term “educational professionals” should be interpreted to include both “researchers” and “practitioners.” A sustainable governance mechanism for the Japanese teaching profession should be built on a four-way relationship among researchers, practitioners, citizens, and government administrators. Originality/Value: This study provides a critical review of a broad-reaching educational policy and proposes a new approach for restructuring the governance of the Japanese teaching profession.