Educating Preservice Teachers: The State of Affairs
The Challenges of Preservice Teacher Preparation
Expectations for teachers are high in today's educational reform and policy agendas. Teachers need to be experts in one or more specific subjects. They also must be prepared to effectively handle the challenges of a growing diverse population of students with a variety of multicultural, multilinguistic, and multiability needs. Teachers also are expected to manage the far-reaching changes that are taking place in and out of schools. This situation is especially true for teachers responsible for providing literacy instruction and combating reading failure in classrooms across the country.
Literacy teachers must possess a level of comprehensive academic qualifications that include in-depth preservice studies based on sound standards and research linked to effective practice and students achievement. Therefore, it is imperative that preservice teacher-preparation programs and the requirements of state departments of education are addressed when examining traditional and alternative routes to teacher education. The balance between what is required of teachers and what is offered to them has a significant impact on the quality of their teaching and their capacity to implement effective literacy instruction.
Training that teaching force is a lengthy process, and one that should be filled with high-quality learning experiences based on sound theoretical principles. Adequate time should be allotted for applying these theoretical principals to practice as well as for reflecting on one's learning. Preservice teacher-education programs play a significant role in the preparation of a highly qualified teaching work force, which is necessary to support the development of a complex 21st century society.