Neoliberalism and teacher certification

Abstract

The dominant discourse of teacher education is framed as the “construction of the problem of teacher education” (Cochran-Smith et al., 2013). From this neoliberal discourse came the push for more accountability, contributing to the promotion of a nationally scored standardized teacher performance assessment (edTPA). This article examines the impact of the assessment on those taking the elementary education edTPA in New York City, teacher educators and the teacher education curriculum. Based on survey and interview data from teacher candidates and faculty, there is a strong concern about the impact of the cost of the edTPA on economically disadvantaged teacher candidates and under-resourced schools of education. In many cases, teacher candidates were not encouraged to fight the neoliberal discourse but rather to “play the game” to pass a test. Because teacher educators felt it was their job to help their teacher candidates get certified, little resistance was found even among those who were not in support of the edTPA. In resistance to the standardization, teacher candidates were encouraged to be strategic, within the Pearson guidelines, in terms of their class size and composition as well as with the lessons that they taught. There were also accommodations made in teacher candidates placements to avoid testing grades or schools with a standardized curriculum; however, this potentially created new consequences with the avoidance of high-needs schools. Additionally, due to the intersection of the specific requirements of the edTPA and the mandated curricula, teacher candidates went outside the guidelines to pass the test. Furthermore, some teacher candidates decided not to take the edTPA and to get certified in another state or not to go into public education.