Some Perspectives on the Governance of Teacher Education.

Overview & Synopsis

The major role of colleges of education in the goverance of teacher education is seen as being that of a reconciling and arbitrating agent for all other influences in teacher education. This view of the role of colleges of education is supported by evidence from twelve fields of investigation: social and economic change; historical antecedents of American teacher education; the totality of university governance mechanisms; previous studies into the faults of governance procedures; general considerations of the difference between disciplines and professions; influences of other institutional governance structures on teacher education; funding by outside organizations; state agency influence; activities of practitioners in the field; role of teacher educators; internal organization of teacher education units (schools, colleges, and departments of education); and the political bases of decision making in teacher education. A summary and evaluation of these areas of research into teacher education governance supports the reconciling/arbitrating role of teacher education colleges. In order to successfully fulfill this role, it is concluded that a college of education must possess seven attributes: (1) a distinct, unified faculty; (2) a cooperatively developed program of teacher education; (3) a centralized locale; (4) a body of students registered in, advised by, and graduating from the college; (5) a degree that the college alone confers; (6) a budget it alone controls; and (7) a dean who serves with a requisite assignment of authority. (MJB)