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A Commentary
Lynn M. Gangone is President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Association of College for Teacher Education, Washington, D. C Email address: [email protected]
Introduction
Teacher education is a complicated and nuanced field to study. From the beginning of normal schools to state comprehensives; from "teacher training" to a body of research on the education of teachers, from the Holmes Group to the AACTE Futures Task Force, teacher education is a hotly debated often criticized topic, and seen as requiring "reform." At AACTE, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, the belief in a university or college-based teacher preparation program is at the core of our work, yet that basis for preparing the best teachers is being eroded. Even in California, a state that prides itself on strong university-based teacher education, only 58% of newly-credentialed California teachers in 2020-21 were fully prepared in teacher preparation programs (Patrick, Darling-Hammond & Kini, 2023).
As President and Chief Executive Officer of AACTE, I develop national and international viewpoints on the state of teacher education here in the United States and throughout the world. My focus is aggregating data from teacher educators, teacher candidates, and deans through AACTE and through my work with the Global Network of Deans of Education (GNDE; https://wwweducation-deans. org/). Consistent themes emerge related to the current state of teacher education.
For the sake of this commentary, I will focus on four of those specific themes as follows:
1. Lack of interest in teaching as a profession: The decline in those pursuing teaching degrees and teacher shortages are worldwide.
2. Consequences of federal and state policies: Either intentionally or unintentionally, federal and state policies can create havoc for teacher preparation programs.
3. The job for which we are preparing our candidates: In the 21st century, continuing to teach through a one teacher-one classroom model does not serve teacher education, teaching, or our students well.
4. The impact of the current political climate: Divisive issues legislation creates a chilling effect on university-based teacher education, teachers, and students alike.
Lack of Interest in Teaching as a Profession
The decline in those pursuing teaching degrees and teacher shortages occurs worldwide. According to the UNESCO International Task Force on Teachers for Education (2023) "this global shortage of...