The Context of Policy and Policy Making in Teacher Education. Occasional Paper No. 11.

Overview & Synopsis

Political influences in teacher education policy-making are examined in this paper, which identifies the political players involved and describes current state and national teacher education policy issues and activities. Methodology involved document analysis and interviews with one state education agency staff member from each of the following eight states: California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania. Part 1 describes the current national discourse on teacher education, with a focus on organizations that occupy a special role in teacher education issues. The second part examines the state's role in the regulation of teacher education policy and identifies the players in the politics of certification and program approval. Policy processes and specific issues in each of the eight states are discussed in part 3. Findings indicate that teacher education policy formation is generally characterized by conflict between state control and teacher autonomy, the growth of licensure policies that circumvent teacher preparation programs, lack of state centers for coordinating the policy process, and increasing state control, which stifles creativity and empowerment. (48 references) (LMI)