Educators and scholars from both China and the U.S. not only have done an evaluation of the status of their own teaching practices, but also have studied features associated with those of their counterparts. Both parties have been engaged in educational reforms for the purpose of improving the quality of education provided to children although there has been no consensus on how to conduct educational reform. If "A Nation at Risk" can be considered the landmark of the educational reform in the U.S., the appearance of "The Outline of Reform on Curriculum of Basic Education" in 2001 officially announced the beginning of educational reform in China. In addition to studies on teaching practices and educational reform movements, there have been publications on teacher preparation programs in China. Studies have also been conducted on international comparison of teacher preparation programs in Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries with China and the U.S. as members in "the preparation of teachers, the induction of teachers, and licensure and other policy issues." Just like the teaching practices in both countries, many differences exist between teacher preparation practices and characteristics of teachers on each side. Similarities were found on gender and age composition, although differences were evident in salary scales, teachers' social status, and perspectives on teaching as a profession. This study focuses on a comparison of two elementary teacher preparation programs housed at two higher education institutions, one in each country, regarding program admission, course requirements, field experience, student teaching, and exit program evaluation. Findings show that the two teacher preparation programs in China and the U.S. share similar features and also exhibit many differences in the preparation of elementary school teachers. Some of the differences actually resulted from shared features when a local context comes in play, such as religious studies only in the U.S. program and Mao Zedong Thoughts solely in the China program. This phenomenon shows that education is definitely not neutral, which directly serves or reflects the values of a society in which it is rooted. (Contains 5 tables.)