As states across the country continue their implementation of the Teacher Performance Assessment Portfolio (edTPA), a complex and high-stakes certification requirement for teacher certification, there are important lessons for educators and education advocates to learn from New York State's implementation. As Linda Darling-Hammond, developer and…

In this article, the authors' intent is to focus in on one elementary teacher education program and, specifically, on the ways in which that program has grappled with and continues to grapple with the questions of whether and how teacher education works relative to the claim that this is a program committed to social justice and designed to…

A primary purpose of teacher education is to prepare and induct candidates into the teaching profession. What does it mean to be a professional educator? Is deep content knowledge really enough as the federal government and others suggest? Does professionalism look different in urban contexts? How do teachers learn to navigate the multiple…

In this age of heightened accountability, academia is increasingly being asked to link assessment to candidate performance outcomes in multiple ways. Research demonstrates the importance of aligning assessment with content standards but cautions that it is critical that assessments match the content, cover a wide range of knowledge, are…

Over the last decade, teacher performance assessments (TPAs) have begun to find appeal in the context of teacher education programs and teacher licensing for their innovative ways of assessing teacher knowledge and skills but primarily for their potential to promote teacher learning and reflective teaching. Studies of preservice teachers who have…

This article explores the motives and evolving identities of one group of graduate students enrolled in a teacher education program at an Ivy League university, who made the choice to teach in urban classrooms. The authors examine the perspectives these candidates give to the process of learning to teach and how their identities are tempered,…

This article presents a qualitative case study that explored preservice teachers' perceptions about their own learning within the culture of a branch-campus, cohort-model teacher preparation program and through their first year of teaching. This study investigated how a cohort of twelve preservice teachers--many of whom were nontraditional-aged…

Two groups of student teachers, one school-based and one university-based, were introduced to portfolio construction. School-based students received more guidance in and time for portfolio construction. Surveys and interviews indicated that the extra time and guidance helped school-based students, who benefited more from portfolios than…

Introduces an issue devoted to teaching portfolios in teacher education. The articles present initial research and reflections on the use of portfolios and share lessons learned through practice. They address such issues as the purposes of portfolios in teacher education; portfolio organization, management, and evaluation; and strengths and…

Presents an overview of teaching portfolios in teacher education, defining and describing the strengths and limitations of three portfolio models (the learning portfolio, the assessment portfolio, and the employment portfolio). The article emphasizes that portfolios can serve a variety of purposes and take many forms and notes the relationship…

Surveys of teacher educators in 24 teacher education programs nationwide examined their use of teaching portfolios with preservice teachers. The educators provided documents, assignments, and guidelines used in connection with portfolios. Results showed that they recognized the positive impact, but not the full value, of portfolios. Portfolio use…

Examined tensions arising from the use of portfolios for inquiry into personal practice during preservice teacher professional development and as a means of evaluation in their licensure. Student and faculty interviews, portfolio meetings, and program review documents indicated that efforts to combine the dual purposes of portfolios did not always…

Examines how reflection has been discussed in teacher education, presenting data from a longitudinal study of 10 teacher apprentices that investigated the experience of becoming reflective through a portfolio process and identifying developmental elements of reflection. The study notes that student teachers consistently report little formal…

Describes how portfolios enrich teaching and learning for elementary credential students at one California university, explaining the context for teaching portfolios, functions of the teaching portfolios, the process of constructing portfolios, how the university uses portfolios, and future directions for the program's portfolio use. (SM)

Teacher education programs provide many environments and experiences in an effort to support elementary preservice teacher development. Ultimately the goal is to transform the student into the teacher. Students enter teacher education programs focused on their present education, grades, and getting that long-sought-after degree; by selecting a…