The Complex Work of Teacher Educators

Teacher education is rapidly changing, pushing the field to reposition clinical practice as the central feature of teacher preparation programs, increasing the role that schools play in teacher preparation, and advocating for greater collaboration between schools/school districts and universities/colleges of education (see American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, 2018; National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, 2010). As the field evolves so does the meaning and understanding of the work of teacher educators.

The Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) has a long history of supporting and advocating for teacher education and teacher educators. The quest to understand who is a teacher educator and what a teacher educator does began in the early 1990s. Through the work of various commissions, ATE developed, refined, and published a set of standards for teacher educators in 2008. Since that time, countless institutions and individuals have used these standards to guide their work and understanding of what it means to be a teacher educator.

The challenge of being a teacher educator in today's shifting context and accountability climate is real. The Complex Work of Teacher Educators: Cases that Illustrate Teacher Educator Standards in Action provides concrete, contemporary examples of the ATE Standards from practicing teacher educators. These cases make transparent the complex work of teacher education and highlight the need for preparing high quality teacher educators who can meet tomorrow’s demands for preparing the next generation of teachers. Each chapter closely examines one of the ATE Teacher Educator Standards and then provides several cases from teacher educators across the United States that target that standard. Each chapter also includes discussion questions and an activity designed to promote reflection and change. Readers can use this book as a resource guide to improve their practice, innovate within their local contexts, and advance the work of teacher education.

Rebecca West Burns, Ph.D. is the Dean of the College of Education at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. Her community-engaged scholarship is situated within clinically based teacher education where she studies supervision, school-university partnerships, and teacher leadership. She has received national recognition for her exemplary school-university collaboration and her impact on urban education. Some of her books include (Re)Designing Programs: A Vision for Equity-Centered, Clinically Based Teacher Preparation with Jennifer Jacobs, and the second edition of Carl Glickman’s best-selling ASCD book, Leadership for Learning: How to Bring Out the BEST in Every Teacher.
Jennifer Jacobs, Ph.D . is currently an Associate Professor in Teacher Education and Director of Clinical Education at the University of South Florida. Her research is situated within the context of teacher education and focuses on teacher learning centered on equity. Central to her work is developing high-quality teacher education programs within partnerships between schools and universities. She has published in Teaching and Teacher Education, Action in Teacher Education, Journal of School Leadership, The Teacher Educator, etc. She recently co-authored the book (Re)Designing Programs: A Vision for Equity-Centered with Rebecca West Burns.