Can primary teachers still be subject generalists?

Within the teaching profession a crisis of competence is developing, one that affects both primary and secondary schools but is especially acute at the primary level. This paper seeks to (a) identify and characterize this crisis, (b) explain why the crisis has arisen at this time, and (c) suggest how we might alleviate it. It is argued that we can no longer reasonably expect primary teachers to be subject-matter generalists; they must specialize.