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This paper addresses a problem that educators have become painfully aware of: their occupation does not share all of the characteristics and benefits of established professions like law and medicine. Oregon is selected as a case study in the making of a profession because, along with California, it has moved farthest towards a true professionalization of teaching. The Bicentennial Commission of Education for the Profession of Teaching of the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education has issued a report, "Educating a Profession," containing a criteria of twelve items listing the characteristics of professions. These twelve items are examined here and compared and contrasted with the Oregon experience. The criteria are divided into two groups: those in which there is no significant distinction between Oregon education and the rest of the country, and those criteria that Oregon has begun to meet in a more clear-cut way than most other states. It is concluded that teaching does not yet satisfy the criteria that other established professions clearly meet; in Oregon, at least, educators have taken essential steps through legislation that can lead to full professional status. (SK)