Issues of Governance in Teacher Education.

Overview & Synopsis

Issues of governance pervade the teacher education field due to the diverse agendas which influence the function of teacher education programs at the institutional level. The purpose of this article is to explore the philosophy and processes of governance. In order to clarify philosophical issues, the following questions are addressed: (1) Are governance structures in teacher education a means to influence or to react to events? (2) What are the beliefs of teacher educators about how they can influence external/internal forces impinging on teacher education? (3) What are the beliefs of teacher educators with respect to the participation of others in control of teacher education? Two questions frame the discussion on processes of governance: (1) How does teacher education establish an appropriate level of autonomy within the university community; and (2) How does the teacher education unit establish an appropriate level of autonomy with respect to external influences? It is concluded that an explicit philosophy of governance must be developed and made apparent within each teacher education program and that the processes of governance must be addressed as an extension of the consensual philosophy. (LL)