Education Week: Panel Finds No Favorite in Teacher-Prep Pathways

Education Week: Panel Finds No Favorite in Teacher-Prep Pathways
I am glad this report finally came out. It is very frustrating to teach in a teacher preparation program where many either think research has nothing to say, or that the research is definitive in what we should do in teacher preparation. I hope the call for more research is heeded, and that the focus is on what program elements matter, for whom, and why. I am skeptical that these large data-sets can do support that kind of research without greater clarity about measuring "field experiences," for example, beyond hours spent student teaching and not looking at quality and growth. Fundamentally, until we as teacher educators become more critical of our practice, and the level of regulation of teacher education programs is realigned to allow for real experimentation with true oversight, we are not going to be able to learn much. Teacher education is a major industry in the US, and in most places it is not treated or regulated in ways that support research-based or research-generating practice. I hope this report spurs change.