Suggests that teacher educators need to examine how they and their students approach the discourse of race and how they might be conveying contradictory messages about teaching students of different backgrounds. Cautions teacher educators to undertake a critical interrogation of preservice pedagogy. (SK)

Analyzes four teacher educator communities in different contexts and entry points across the career lifespan, making the case that the education of teacher educators is substantially enriched when inquiry is a stance on the overall enterprise of teaching, schooling, and teacher education. The four illustrations are: unlearning racism, reinventing…

Unlearning racism involves examining racist assumptions that are embedded in courses and curricula, acknowledging complicity in maintaining existing systems of privilege and oppression, and addressing failure to produce change. Narrative is an effective way to examine experience; it provides an alternative to traditional academic discourse. (SK)

Suggests that what is missing from the discourse on higher standards in teacher education is discussions of outcomes measures, which make teaching harder and more complicated for teacher candidates, noting that such measures would recognize the complexity and uncertainty of teaching and learning and acknowledge the often concurrent, competing…

Discusses how in 1999, the authors interviewed faculty, administrators, and students involved in teacher education to learn how the Massachusetts teacher test was affecting the business of teacher education. Argues that the most significant effect of the teacher test has been on admissions, as teacher education programs have begun linking…

Describes the public's desire for teaching quality and teacher accountability. Asserts that while teachers and teacher educators must be accountable for their work, this work cannot be determined by narrow conceptions of teaching quality and student learning focused exclusively on test scores and ignoring the complexity of teaching and leaning,…

Examines the importance of learning to teach for social justice, social change, and social responsibility. All teachers must learn to teach against the grain by collaborating closely with university- and school-based mentors to develop critique, challenge common practices, and engage in inquiry. Preservice programs must provide the social,…

Analyzes how two national agendas in teacher education reform (deregulation and professionalization) are publicly constructed and debated, using public documents from each side and the arguments of the advocates themselves. Suggests that despite very different agendas, both discourses revolve around the establishment of three interrelated warrants…

In the context of escalating criticism of university-based teacher education across the world, a clear need exists for informed defence of the field and the profession as well as critical evaluation of both teacher education and schooling. This paper takes up the issue of the 'outcomes question' in this regard, arguing the case for a strong focus…

This editorial spotlights what teacher preparation has to do with: (1) teaching quality and school children's educational experiences and (2) equity, access to educational opportunities, and preparing all citizens of a demographically diverse society to live in democracy. It examines a California lawsuit, Williams v. State of California, which was…

Responds to the Secretary of Education's 2002 report, "Meeting the Highly Qualified Teachers Challenge," which asserts that states must transform certification requirements because while states' academic standards for teachers are low, barriers that keep out qualified people who have not completed collegiate teacher preparation are high.…

In response to commentaries on an earlier essay, this paper suggests three points to extend the dialogue about teacher education reform, discussing the potential value of debates that marshal evidence for a particular policy position, the importance of open discussion about the ideologies underlying different positions, and cautions about the…

Describes innovative student teaching programs, noting assumptions about power, knowledge, and language of teaching. The paper discusses contrasting relationships (consonance, critical dissonance, and collaborative resonance), arguing that programs based on collaborative university-school relationships provide unique learning opportunities. The…

Discusses the role of multicultural education in American education, examining Geneva Gay's book on culturally responsive teaching (which argues for culturally responsive teaching, with teaching having the moral courage to help make education more multiculturally responsive) and Sandra Stotsky's book (which argues that multicultural education is a…

Outlines recent efforts to analyze, document, or enhance the impact of collegiate teacher preparation on teaching, learning, and practice. Includes examples from empirical studies or reviews, national initiatives to make teacher preparation more assessment based and evidence driven, and regional efforts to assess the impact of naturally occurring…