Defining the outcomes of teacher education: what's social justice got to do with it?

In the context of escalating criticism of university‐based teacher education across the world, a clear need exists for informed defence of the field and the profession as well as critical evaluation of both teacher education and schooling. This paper takes up the issue of the ‘outcomes question’ in this regard, arguing the case for a strong focus on social justice as the necessary complement to an ongoing concern with academic excellence and rigor. It argues the need for teacher educators and others to look closely at the different ways that educational outcomes are currently being defined and for these differences to be made more openly and widely available for criticism and discussion. The paper seeks to contribute to debate regarding the role and renewal of teacher education, in specific relation to widespread standards movements and the public good, and the conduct and governance of education more generally.

[1]  Megan L. Franke,et al.  Research for High-Quality Urban Teaching , 2002 .

[2]  Joan Ferrini-Mundy,et al.  Teacher Preparation Research , 2002 .

[3]  L. Darling-Hammond.  Teacher Quality and Student Achievement , 2000 .

[4]  Kati Haycock,et al.  Interpret With Caution: The First State Title II Reports on the Quality of Teacher Preparation. , 2002 .

[5]  A National Testing System: Manna From Above? An Historical/Technological Perspective , 1993 .

[6]  Marilyn Cochran-Smith.  The Future of Teacher Education: Framing the questions that matter , 2000 .

[7]  H. Robertson.  Public Education in a Corporate-Dominated Culture , 1998 .

[8]  Marilyn Cochran-Smith,et al.  Sticks, Stones, and Ideology: The Discourse of Reform in Teacher Education , 2001 .

[9]  June A. Gordon,et al.  The Color of Teaching , 2002 .

[10]  Marilyn Cochran-Smith,et al.  The Discourse of Reform in Teacher Education: Extending the Dialogue , 2002 .

[11]  L. Darling-Hammond.  Research and Rhetoric on Teacher Certification , 2002 .

[12]  Michael W. Apple,et al.  Markets, Standards, Teaching, and Teacher Education , 2001 .

[13]  Marilyn Cochran-Smith,et al.  Inside/Outside: Teacher Research and Knowledge , 1993 .

[14]  D. Cohen.  Teaching for Understanding: Challenges for Policy and Practice , 1993 .

[15]  L. Darling-Hammond.  Reforming Teacher Preparation and Licensing: Debating the Evidence , 2000, Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education.

[16]  Edward H. Haertel.  Performance Assessment and Education Reform , 1999 .

[17]  G. Austin,et al.  Left Back: A Century of Failed School Reforms , 2002 .

[18]  B. Clewell,et al.  Absence Unexcused: Ending Teacher Shortages in High-Need Areas. Evaluating the Pathways to Teaching Careers Program. , 2001 .

[19]  Laura M. O'Dwyer,et al.  A Short History of Performance Assessment: Lessons Learned. , 1999 .

[20]  W. Hawley,et al.  The essentials of effective professional development: A new consensus. , 1999 .

[21]  Judith W. Solsken,et al.  Defining Literacy , 2000 .

[22]  Marilyn Cochran-Smith.  Constructing Outcomes in Teacher Education: Policy, Practice and Pitfalls. , 2001 .

[23]  L. Darling-Hammond,et al.  Doing what matters most : investing in quality teaching , 1997 .

[24]  A. Latham,et al.  Generalizations in Teacher Education , 2000 .

[25]  L. Darling-Hammond.  Teacher Quality and Student Achievement: A Review of State Policy Evidence , 2000 .

[26]  Gloria J. Ladson-Billings,et al.  Teaching in Dangerous Times: Culturally Relevant Approaches to Teacher Assessment. , 1998 .

[27]  Suzanne M. Wilson,et al.  Creating Effective Teachers: Concise Answers for Hard Questions. An Addendum to the Report "Teacher Preparation Research: Current Knowledge, Gaps, and Recommendations.". , 2003 .

[28]  William L. Sanders,et al.  Research Findings from the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) Database: Implications for Educational Evaluation and Research , 1998 .

[29]  G. P. Smith.  The Critical Issue of Excellence and Equity in Competency Testing , 1984 .

[30]  Penelope M. Earley.  Finding the Culprit: Federal Policy and Teacher Education , 2000 .

[31]  L. Darling-Hammond,et al.  The Research and Rhetoric on Teacher Certification: A Response to "Teacher Certification Reconsidered" , 2001 .

[32]  Marilyn Cochran-Smith.  The Outcomes Question in Teacher Education. , 2001 .

[33]  John Furlong,et al.  Ideology and Reform in Teacher Education in England: Some Reflections on Cochran-Smith and Fries , 2002 .

[34]  Mark Schalock,et al.  Effectiveness--Along with Quality--Should Be the Focus. , 1998 .

[35]  Martha S. Hendricks-Lee,et al.  The Language of Standards and Teacher Education Reform , 2000 .

[36]  Chester E. Finn,et al.  Better Teachers, Better Schools. , 1999 .

[37]  M. Podgursky,et al.  Reforming Teacher Preparation and Licensing: What is the Evidence?. , 2000 .

[38]  Tamara Lucas,et al.  Preparing Culturally Responsive Teachers , 2002 .

[39]  L. Ludlow.  Teacher Test Accountability: From Alabama to Massachusetts. , 2001 .

[40]  Diana C. Pullin,et al.  Can You Take Dictation? , 2000 .

[41]  Kate Walsh,et al.  Teacher Certification Reconsidered: Stumbling for Quality. , 2001 .

[42]  M. Podgursky.  Reforming Teacher Training and Recruitment , 2005 .

[43]  Marilyn Cochran-Smith.  What’s Preparation Got to Do with it? , 2002 .

[44]  Dennis Thiessen.  Developing Knowledge for Preparing Teachers: Redefining the Role of Schools of Education , 2000 .

[45]  R. Roth,et al.  The role of the university in the preparation of teachers , 1999 .

[46]  Marilyn Cochran-Smith,et al.  Color Blindness and Basket Making Are Not the Answers: Confronting the Dilemmas of Race, Culture, and Language Diversity in Teacher Education , 1995 .