Carol Adams (educator)

Last updated

Carol Adams (28 July 1948 - 11 January 2007) was a history teacher who was the first Chief Executive of the General Teaching Council for England (GTCE), [1] bringing England in line with Scotland and Wales who had had teaching regulatory bodies since 1966. [2] Adams established the organisation (which was not welcomed by some in the profession) as a regulatory body and for professional development organisation, and which was consulted by government, from its foundation in 2000 until it covered over 500,000 teachers, before she retired in late 2006. [2] [3]

Contents

Education

Born into a close working-class family in Hackney, East London, when she was 11 years old Adams won a scholarship to Christ's Hospital Girls School in Hertford. She read history at Warwick University in the 1960s enjoying some time at the University of California in Berkeley. She studied her PGCE at the University of London, taking an MA in Human Rights at the Institute of Education in the early 80s.

Early career

Adams taught history and humanities for five years at inner London secondary schools. From 1979, she managed a resource centre for teachers for four years. In the 1980s, Adams became the country's first Inspector for Equal Opportunities at the Inner London Education Authority. When ILEA closed, she became Assistant Chief Education Officer in Haringey, North London, where she was responsible for all equality issues, working especially hard to develop the careers of black teachers. In 1990, she became Chief Education Officer in Wolverhampton, moving to Shropshire four years later.

Writing

Adams wrote books for students, including co-authoring - published in three volumes in the mid-70s - which was aimed at schoolgirls and explained how sexism limited female opportunities. [4] also co-edited the Women in History series for Cambridge University Press, which brought the women's movement into the classroom. She captured the lives of medieval women, as well as life in a 19th-century silk factory. She was on the original editorial advisory board of the feminist publishing company, Virago.

General Teaching Council for England

Adams joined the GTCE as its first Chief Executive in 2000, [5] [6] steering its development from a fledgling council to a mature organisation. A passionate advocate for teachers and teaching, [7] Carol made access to sustained and effective professional development a central focus of the GTCE's work. Among the key highlights of Adams's time at the GTCE was the launch and development of the GTCE-led Teacher Learning Academy, which offers teachers professional recognition for the learning and development that takes place in schools.

There was controversy between the HM Inspectorate of Schools and the Local Authorities on the handling of incompetent teachers in England, and CEO Adams had to steer a path between these viewpoints and ensure that GTCE's role was clearly understood and legally adhered to by the 150 employers organisations, to enhance teachers' professional standards and to address any behavioural issues, effectively, and a code of conduct was agreed. [8] [9] The profession was said to have low morale, with a survey identifying that up to a third were seeking to leave. [10]

Adams presented recommendations to enhance the trust given to teacher's assessment of student's progress, and professional development plans to assist staff in this area. [11] Adams continued to campaign for equality throughout her career. In every facet of her work at the GTCE she ensured that the Council focused on raising achievement for all pupils, regardless of background. In 2006, she was delighted to be appointed as a Commissioner for the Equality and Human Rights Commission. [12]

Reflecting her commitment towards teachers' professional development, equality and diversity, since 2008 the GTCE has bestowed annual awards in Adam's honour. Given to teachers who demonstrate excellence in these fields, the winners are chosen from the wider Teaching Awards regional finalists, as the best exemplars of good practice in the profession.

Personal life

Adams was a keen jazz fan, playing the clarinet and saxophone in two jazz bands. She also enjoyed swimming, tennis, dancing and travel. She had two children, Amy and Joseph.

Related Research Articles

Professional development is learning to earn or maintain professional credentials such as academic degrees to formal coursework, attending conferences, and informal learning opportunities situated in practice. It has been described as intensive and collaborative, ideally incorporating an evaluative stage. There is a variety of approaches to professional development, including consultation, coaching, communities of practice, lesson study, mentoring, reflective supervision and technical assistance.

Teacher Person who helps others to acquire knowledge, competences or values

A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence or virtue.

Education policy consists of the principles and policy decisions that influence the field of education, as well as the collection of laws and rules that govern the operation of education systems.

Teacher education Set of policies, procedures, and provision to equip teachers to perform their tasks effectively

Teacher education or teacher training refers to the policies, procedures, and provision designed to equip (prospective) teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and skills they require to perform their tasks effectively in the classroom, school, and wider community. The professionals who engage in training the prospective teachers are called teacher educators.

The Chartered College of Teaching is a learned society for the teaching profession in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1846, the college was incorporated by Queen Victoria into a royal charter as the College of Preceptors in 1849. A supplemental charter was granted in 1998 changing the name to the College of Teachers. A further supplemental charter granted in 2017 changed the society to its current name, and permitted the granting of charted teacher status to members.

The ELTons are international awards given annually by the British Council that recognise and celebrate innovation in the field of English language teaching. They reward educational resources that help English language learners and teachers to achieve their goals using innovative content, methods or media. The ELTons date from 2003 and the 2018 sponsors of the awards are Cambridge English Language Assessment and IELTS. Applications are submitted by the end of November each year and they are judged by an independent panel of ELT experts, using the Delphi Technique. The shortlist is published in March and the winners announced at a ceremony in London in June. The 2018 awards were held in a new venue, Savoy Place, Institute of Engineering and Technology, London, UK.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) is a fee based registered charity and the world's first independent self-regulating body for teaching. The current Chief Executive and Registrar is Dr Pauline Stephen. The GTCS maintains a register of qualified teachers; there were 77,386 teachers on the register on 3 November 2021.

General Teaching Council for England Former professional body for teaching in England

The General Teaching Council for England (GTCE) was the professional body for teaching in England between 2000 and 2012. The GTC was established by the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998 which set two aims: "to contribute to improving standards of teaching and the quality of learning, and to maintain and improve standards of professional conduct among teachers, in the interests of the public". The GTC was abolished in 2012 with some of its functions being assumed by the Teaching Agency, an executive agency of the Department for Education, which in 2013 became the National College for Teaching and Leadership.

Linda Darling-Hammond is an American academic who is the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Emeritus at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. She was also the President and CEO of the Learning Policy Institute. She is author or editor of more than 25 books and more than 500 articles on education policy and practice. Her work focuses on school restructuring, teacher education, and educational equity. She was education advisor to Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign and was reportedly among candidates for United States Secretary of Education in the Obama administration.

Science Learning Centres are a UK Government initiative to address the need for improved science education and development for teachers in England.

Mary James FAcSS retired in January 2014 as Professor and Associate Director of Research at the University of Cambridge, Faculty of Education. In the same year she completed her four-year term as Vice President and President of the British Education and Research Association.

The Teaching & Learning Academy (TLA) is a multi-stage training and mentoring programme offered to teachers and other school staff in England. It is designed to offer "public and professional recognition for teachers' learning, development and improvement work". Teachers can work on their projects ether individually or collaboratively. They can also work inside of their school or across counties.

The Institute for Learning (IfL) was a voluntary membership, UK professional body. It ceased operating on 31 October 2014. Although precise membership figures and statistical details had been removed from IfL's webpage prior to its closure, at the end of financial year 2013-2014 IfL were reported as having only 33,500 of their 200,000 members remaining.

Education Development Trust is a large not-for-profit organisation which provides education services in the United Kingdom (UK) and internationally. The charity is based in Reading, UK.

Department for Education

The Department for Education (DFE) is the British government department responsible for child protection, education, apprenticeships and wider skills in England.

The Teacher Development Trust is a UK charity which works to raise awareness of the importance of professional development for teachers and other education professionals.

Louise Doris Adams British mathematics educator and school inspector

Louise Doris Adams was a British mathematics educator and school inspector (HMI) who wrote the 1953 book A Background to Primary School Mathematics and became president of the Mathematical Association for 1959.

Dr. Carol Diane Lee is an American professor, educational researcher, school director and author. Now retired, Lee was the Edwina S. Tarry Professor of Education and Social Policy, Professor of Learning Sciences, and Professor of African-American Studies at Northwestern University. Her scholarly interests focus on the influences of culture and literacy on education, particularly among students in the African-American community. She chairs the Board of Director of the Betty Shabbazz International Charter Schools, an institution she helped found.

Cecile Yvonne Conolly CBE was a Jamaican teacher, who became the United Kingdom's first female black headteacher in 1969, aged just 29-years-old. She arrived in the UK in 1963, as part of the Windrush generation, and went on to have a career in education that spanned over 40 years. In 2020, Conolly was made a CBE for services to education.

Greta Morine-Dershimer is an American education researcher. She is Professor Emerita in the University of Virginia’s School of Education and Human Development. She has served as an officer of the American Educational Research Association, and is a former editor of Teaching and Teacher Education.

References

  1. ↑ Irena Barker (19 January 2007). "Carol Adams: a leader courageous in pursuit of teachers' credibility". TES. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  2. 1 2 Roberts, Yvonne (2007-01-19). "Obituary: Carol Adams". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  3. ↑ Adi Bloom (20 October 2006). "GTC leader bids farewell to her baby". TES. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  4. ↑ ""M. Frances Klein, Margaret Hirozawa, Karen Honos, Linda Poole & Shirley Eklund (1978) Reviews‐classroom materials for the gifted, Roeper Review, 1:1, 23-30, DOI: 10.1080/02783197809552351"". doi:10.1080/02783197809552351.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. ↑ "GTC launches". News Shopper. 1 January 2000. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  6. ↑ "Puttnam heads new teaching council". news.bbc.co.uk. 1999-12-03. Archived from the original on 2002-10-02. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  7. ↑ Richard Garner (8 January 2003). "Inner-city teachers 'should be given golden handcuffs'". The Independent. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  8. ↑ "Teachers to get code of conduct". 2004-07-01. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  9. ↑ "Teachers sacked for incompetence remain in schools". The Independent. 2013-10-10. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  10. ↑ "Teaching could face exodus by unhappy staff". Personnel Today. 2003-01-14. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  11. ↑ Perspectives_on_Pupil_Assessment._New_Relationships__Teaching,_Learning_and_Accountability. London: General Teaching Council for England. 2004. p. 3.
  12. ↑ Mike Berry (4 April 2006). "Commission for Racial Equality appoints three new Commissioners". Personnel Today. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.