The Professional Development of Teachers in the United States and Japan

SUMMARY Teachers in the USA and Japan have engaged in formal and informal professional development for many decades. However, professional development as a field of study is a relatively recent phenomenon, with most policy changes and research occurring since the mid-1980s. This article presents an overview of professional development in the USA and Japan and examines similarities and differences in the two countries. Faced with increasingly diverse and rapidly changing societies, both countries recognise flaws in their current systems and both want to reform teacher education by finding ways of revitalising professional development. As these two countries work toward similar goals and expectations for improvement, each has something to offer the other.