Chapter 14 situates the study of school and society in the personal choice that people make to become teachers. The chapter first reminds the reader of one of the key messages of the book: that from early national period to the common-school era; from the progressive era through the Cold War to the post-Cold War period of contemporary school reform; from agrarianism to industrialism and urbanization; from urbanization to suburbanization and the postindustrial computer age; and from classical liberalism to modern liberalism and neoliberalism, the story of public schools in the United States has been marked by a tension between the ideals of democratic equality and practices of unequal schooling that decade after decade reward power and privilege with educational resources far superior to the nonpriveleged white majority. But this raises the legitimate question: So what? What does this mean for me as a teacher?

        What this means for each teacher is partly dependent on why the individual may choose, or has chosen, teaching as a profession. Some people do it for personal reasons having to do mostly with their own individual skills, dispositions, and job opportunities, which may have little to do with goals for students or for society. For others, it's all about student learning, with less regard for themselves and little attention to issues of social structure or political economic inequality. For still others, social issues are paramount, and they see teaching as a political act that can change society.

        It might be argued that no teacher can be motivated purely by just one these perspectives, and that it is always a matter of emphasis. True enough; but this chapter raises the question of how teachers can think about and accomplish their professional goals, whatever those might be. For, in thinking about achieving one's goals, it is important to understand the connection between how one teaches and what kinds of outcomes such teaching is most likely to achieve. That is, teachers need to have a "theory of impact," or a way to see what their teaching is likely to amount to for themselves, their students, and for society. And for teachers who wish to increase their impact, it is argued, collective action and leadership are necessary. In this connection, some teachers emerge as leaders—leaders who are much needed if teachers are to achieve their educational goals.