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Starting in New England with informal training, academies, seminaries, institutes, and the birth of the state normal schools, Kelly Kolodny and Mary-Lou Breitborde explore the origins of teacher preparation in the United States as these models expanded geographically, in substance and form, throughout the South and West. The authors chart how specific historical periods have influenced teacher preparation in the U.S., including Western expansion, industrialization, the Civil War, Reconstruction and retrenchment, the Progressive Era and the mid-to-late twentieth century, which was marked by the space race, the growth of STEM education, racial unrest, the peace movement, immigration and tensions around social inequities.
The discussion of teacher preparation in history links contextual issues and themes in each period (e.g., race, the place of women in society, the nation’s place in the world) to purposes, policies and practices in the formal preparation of teachers. The authors discuss contemporary issues shaping teacher preparation in the United States and propose recommendations for policy changes. Among their recommendations are the need to diversify the teacher workforce, the commitment to develop strong connections with families and communities, curricula that emphasize teaching for deep understanding, antiracist teacher education and culturally sustaining pedagogy, increased attention to social-emotional learning, the innovative use of new technologies, and the preparation of teachers with a global consciousness.
Kelly Kolodny is Professor of Education at Framingham State University. Her research and writing address the fields of educational biography, the history of state normal schools in the United States, contemporary schooling, and the learning and development of children. She is the past president of the New England Philosophy of Education Society (NEPES).
Mary-Lou Breitborde is Professor Emerita of Education at Salem State University, where she taught courses in the social foundations of education and served as Associate Dean and Chair in the School of Education. Her research, publications and international presentations focus on the social and cultural history of education; the lives and work of social-reconstructionist educators; and global/multicultural education.
Chapter 1. The Young Republic Needs Teachers
Chapter 2. The States Take Responsibility for Teacher Preparation
Chapter 3. The Nation Expands and the Teaching Profession Grows
Chapter 4. Preparing Teachers in the Mid to Late 20th Century: National and Global Influences
Chapter 5. Transitioning into the 21st Century
Chapter 6. Moving Forward: Recommendations for Teacher Preparation in the 21st Century United States