Implications of P-16 for Teacher Education

Abstract

HISTORICALLY such phrases as and and ivory tower have been used to describe the gap between the realities of everyday living and the world of the mind that is the academy. With the notable exceptions of such programs as nursing, social work, engineering, business, and education, much of higher education has indeed remained above the fray of the day-to-day workplace. But even for a program such as teacher education, which has always had one foot in theory and one in practice, the relationship between town and gown is changing and growing closer. P-16 initiatives across the nation, with the endorsement of the National Governors Association, are striving to create a seamless education system from preschool through college graduation. P-12 and postsecondary educators are being asked to collaborate on a much deeper level. These efforts are rooted in the belief that today's education system lacks coherence and a sense of connectiveness among its component parts. (1) Correcting this situation will require an alignment of standards, expectations, and processes at all levels of the nation's education system. If it succeeds, all children will enter school ready to learn, students will graduate from high school prepared for college or work, and students who enter college will finish college. The P-16 initiative, which is in varying stages of development across the country, will require educators at all levels to become more deeply involved in the full spectrum of student learning. Professors will need to know more about the standards their students attained in order to graduate from high school as well as the standards they will be required to meet to graduate from college. High school teachers will need to know more about the standards their students met in the K-8 grades as well as the standards they must meet to earn a high school diploma. And kindergarten teachers will need to know more about their students' preschool experiences and the expectations of the elementary level. Clearly, merging the two worlds of P-12 and higher education to create a seamless system presents many challenges. Understanding the expectations of each level is only the most obvious. At the same time, this proposed merger presents opportunities to create clear achievement standards for transition from one level to the next and to address many critical educational issues, such as the meaning of school readiness, issues of standards and assessment, the significance of a high school diploma, and readiness for work or college. Here we examine some of the implications of the P-16 initiative for teacher education from the perspective of teacher educators at a land-grant university. We see teacher education poised at the intersection of P-12 and higher education and well positioned to lead and facilitate the P-16 initiative. Below we identify seven implications that an integrated P-16 system of education will have for teacher education. 1. A P-16 system will increase the visibility and responsibilities of all partners in teacher education. Public interest in teacher education and the quality of teachers ebbs and flows. Interest peaks when the media adopt a negative focus on issues such as U.S. students' performance on international tests, schools that don't make AYP (adequate yearly progress), or the number of first-year college students enrolled in remedial courses. In times of peak interest, teacher education programs in schools, colleges, and departments of education come under close scrutiny, their existence is challenged, and the exploration of alternative routes to teacher certification increases. Issues of when and where teachers should be prepared, always controversial within the teacher education community, are debated, with a lack of convincing data on all sides. (2) Somewhat shielded from this scrutiny--or quietly avoiding the debate--are the faculties of arts and sciences that are the source of the content knowledge newly certified teachers will take to their P-12 classrooms. …