Reflections on Change in Teacher Education. A Final Report to USOE for an Institutional Grant.

Overview & Synopsis

The Division of Teacher Education (DTE) at Indiana University, Bloomington, explored ways in which the university could better serve American public schools under a program funded by the United States Office of Education. This document, the final report, includes a description of activities and evaluation efforts, and recommendations for future program activities. The original proposal set forth a plan to identify and ameliorate six conditions requiring reform in institutions of higher learning in order to enhance the quality of teacher education and thereby better serve schools, students, and communities. They are: (1) the over-bureaucratization of schools of education and the low priority assigned to the education of teachers; (2) the isolation of schools of education and the low priority assigned to the education of teachers by other academic units at the university; (3) the separation of university and school level experiences for the prospective teacher; (4) the divorce of teacher education from the real world; (5) the failure to develop strategies, tactics, and materials that have a cumulative effect on the development of teacher education; and (6) the temporary nature of innovations and experiments. Pursuant activities involved Indiana University in a partnership with communities and local educational agencies in reforming teacher education and, subsequently, teacher behavior in schools; up-grading the priority assigned to teacher education programs within the institution; and providing for the development of a wider range of strategies, tactics, and materials that would have a cumulative effect on teacher education programs and lead to the development of theories about teacher education. Although evaluations were conducted at all levels throughout the program, this final report examines the effectiveness of the DTE in meeting its goals. Appendices cover: development of the DTE; preparation options in teacher education; description of evaluation activities; the mission of the school of education; and activities of the dissemination component. (MM)