With the recent interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), educators have begun to rethink how these disciplines are taught. Beyond redesigning curricula and core standards, an educational culture is emerging that reexamines the purpose of STEM education and whom it serves. To ensure that all learners are inspired and prepared…

This article describes the first phase of a longitudinal study that examines the impact of teacher preparation programs on the literacy instructional practices of teacher candidates. Case summaries and cross-case analysis by 12 researchers of 10 teacher preparation universities across the United States determined (1) the signature aspects of…

As challenges are handed down from state and federal governments to demonstrate utility and efficiency within teacher education programs, it is important to stop and consider the role of teacher education within schooling. Perhaps we should prepare new teachers by asking, "How should we prepare new teachers?" By framing teacher education…

Increased use of field-based teacher preparation offers important opportunities to develop skills with diverse learners. However, limited focus on theoretical content restricts understanding and generalization of well-proven theoretical approaches, resulting in fragmented field applications unlikely to result in broad application. Inspired by Kurt…

The standards that currently define a quality teacher or teacher education program derive their authority from the consensus of experts, who negotiate and craft statements that codify their views of best practice. In education, these consensus statements are rarely rooted in the field's established scholarship (as is the case for many standards in…

"Teaching practice" refers to the professional discourse, knowledge, skills, tools, and habits of mind underlying the interpretive processes that characterize expert teaching practice. Such expert practice is located within and responsive to micro- and macrocontexts and situations. In a well-articulated vision, learning teaching practice is…

In this article, I examine the logic of holding teachers and teacher education programs accountable for their students' learning. Using a conceptual tool first proposed by Ryle (1949) called the "task-achievement distinction," I show that current assessment schemes, such as value-added assessment, credit or discredit teachers for…

Universities are central to promoting the idea of civic engagement. As for teacher education programs, the author believes that civic engagement is the ultimate outcome for the profession. She argues that civic engagement should be the responsibility of every individual, but often it rests solely on the shoulders of classroom teachers. In offering…

Over the past 20 years, the teaching profession has embraced the notion of the teacher as reflective practitioner, which has led to an increased emphasis on teacher education programs offering learning experiences that model and encourage reflective practice. This qualitative instrumental case study research explored the usefulness, benefits, and…

In this research reflection, we develop a portrait of our engaged pedagogy for teaching educational foundations classes in teacher education. Our engaged pedagogy--based on autobiography and self-disclosure traditions-- emphasizes instructors and students' self-disclosure of lived experiences as being central to practical curriculum in teaching…

To address shortfalls in the preparation and achievement of U.S. students in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), instruction in these areas must begin in the elementary grades, as early as kindergarten (American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, 2007; Natural Academy of Sciences, 2007; National Research…

This educational article is structured in a dialogue format and written for preservice and in-service teachers. It addresses GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender) issues relevant for Grades K-12 as well as teacher education programs. We use a storytelling approach to highlight issues and concerns that GLBT students and teachers face in…

We used qualitative methods to explore how a graduate literacy program prepares in-service teacher education candidates to support the literacy development of diverse learners in the United States. Using data from program evaluations collected in 2009 and 2010, coursework, rubrics, candidates' work samples, and surveys from 24 respondents (a 34%…

Various iterations of STEM have been in the forefront of national educational reform of science and math teaching over the last two decades. Most recently, STEM is being viewed as the integration of the sciences, math, technology, and engineering to solve authentic problems, rather than an individual collection of related subjects. This approach…

In this article, I report research on representations of immigrant identities in one university where teacher candidates matriculated in undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The case study occurred in a community where immigrants were highly visible. A content analysis of curriculum for teacher preparation provided a view of factors that…