A Brief Introduction to the Problem of Professional Responsibility

Professionals in education and medicine are well aware that serious and repeated attempts at systemic reform and program improvement have not overcome political criticism or client dissatisfaction. Advances in research are not overcoming inadequacies in professional practice that are producing distressing gaps in health care and educational attainment; gaps separating the rich from the poor, majority from minority ethnic groups, and English speakers from English learners. The central problem, this chapter suggests, is one of empowering professional responsibility among those who provide educational and medical services. In the literature of both occupations, there is a rich history of deliberation over the nature of professional responsibility. Key points of convergence are noted (e.g., professions are complex and professionals responsible for client well-being). So are points of divergence (e.g., Does being professional mean working in a particular occupation, or attaining superior performance within an occupational group, or does it mean execution of specifically professional tasks?). This chapter introduces an exploration of professional responsibility pursued throughout this volume to bring fresh perspective to a neglected side of education and medical reform and improvement. The chapter closes with a brief orientation to the rest of this book.