Will State Regulation of Teacher Education Diminish Program Diversity? An Examination of Three Virginia Universities

Growing regulation of teacher preparation programs has raised concerns about standardization in the field of teacher education. With greater uniformity, is there a loss of innovation and program identity? To gather information on this question, we examined teacher preparation programs in Elementary Education, Secondary English, Secondary Mathematics and Special Education at three Virginia institutions of higher education: the College of William and Mary, James Madison University, and the University of Virginia. Multiple data sources were used to collect information about program policies and practices, including program documents, interviews and focus groups. Interviews and focus groups were used to verify the accuracy and importance of the written documentation in each program. The findings of our review substantiate continued program and institutional variations in numerous areas despite the establishment of specific standards for preparation programs at the state level. Variations exist in areas such as length of program, types of required practicum experiences, number of required credits in professional education, number of credits/hours required for student teaching, number of required credits in major field of study, and nature of student teaching placement(s). Future research is needed to determine whether the areas of identified program variations help to account for differences in teacher effectiveness and ultimately the achievement of those they instruct. (Contains 8 tables.)