Organizations For Teacher Educators Essay ⋆ Education Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

Professional associations provide members with opportunities to exchange ideas and learn from each other through annual meetings, newsletters, Web sites, monographs, and peer-reviewed journals. They articulate standards for professional practice; acknowledge excellence through awards, grants, and fellowships; and represent the interests of members through political activities and collaboration with other organizations. Teacher educators reflect the variety and complexity of the field of education as a whole, participating in a wide array of local, state, regional, national, and international organizations and professional associations. They are influenced by, and participate in, research and policy oriented organizations, interdisciplinary associations, specialized disciplinary professional societies, labor unions, and honorary societies. This entry offers a quick review of the history of such organizations and their various agendas.

First Organizations

The National Education Association (NEA) established the first national organizations for teacher educators in the United States. When the NEA was formed in 1857, about a quarter of its members were affiliated with colleges, universities, and normal schools (an early term for teacher training schools derived from the French term école normale, or “model school”). Annual meetings provided opportunities for administrators, normal school teachers, and university professors to debate and describe the role of higher education in teacher preparation.

In 1902, the Society of College Teachers of Education (today called the Society of Professors of Education) was founded in conjunction with a meeting of the NEA’s Department of Superintendence. The initial purpose of the Society was to improve the work of the departments of education in colleges and universities by providing a forum for examining and evaluating the organization and content of courses in education. Members also examined the relationships between departments of education and other academic departments (to foster harmonious relationships) and discussed current educational theory and its relevance for the work of members.

In the 1920s and 1930s, the NEA articulated principles of tenure, due process, and academic freedom for educators at all levels. Over the years, it has also worked to improve teacher education programs through formal accreditation. In 1946, the NEA established the National Commission on Teacher Education and Professional Standards, which joined four other educational organizations in founding the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education in 1954.

Research And Policy

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education is a nonprofit, national accrediting body whose purpose is to ensure high-quality teacher preparation programs in colleges and universities in the United States. Thirty-five national educational organizations shape its policies and practices. Although its members are educational associations rather than individuals, the National Council gives teacher educators (as well as teachers, administrators, and subject-matter specialists) a voice in the national accreditation process.

Established in 1948, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education is a voluntary association of about 800 colleges and universities. Its mission is “to promote the learning of all PreK–12 students through high-quality, evidence-based preparation and continuing education for all school personnel” and to improve the quality of schools and departments of education in colleges and universities (www.aacte.org). Based in Washington, D.C., it actively represents members’ interests in the national educational policy development process. It holds an annual convention and offers well-regarded leadership development workshops for college of education administrators and faculty. It publishes a biweekly newsletter, numerous articles, books and monographs, and the Journal of Teacher Education.

The Council for Social Foundations in Education is a national federation of twenty professional associations and societies in educational foundations, educational studies, and educational policy studies. Its goal is “to strengthen the role of those foundations’ disciplines in the preparation of educational personnel, in the study and analysis of education, and in policymaking related to education at all levels in the United States” (www.socialfoundations.org). The Council is affiliated with the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and has established Standards for Academic and Professional Instruction in Foundations of Education, Educational Studies, and Educational Policy Studies (1978, 1986, 1996), which “offer guidance to institutions of higher education, state education agencies, and other national educational and policymaking organizations concerning the definition, role, and significance of study in the foundations of education” (www.uic.edu/educ/csfe). The Council for Social Foundations meets twice each year in conjunction with the American Educational Research Association and American Educational Studies Association annual meetings.

The Association of Teacher Educators, founded in 1920, offers memberships to individuals. It is a member of the National Council for Accreditation and has established professional standards for teacher education and teacher educators. It offers professional development workshops, and it publishes a quarterly newsletter and the journal Action in Teacher Education.

Interdisciplinary Associations

Founded in 1916, the American Educational Research Association promotes educational research and its application. With 25,000 members, it is the largest international society of its kind. Members include professors of education, teacher educators, administrators, counselors, educational testing and evaluation experts, graduate students, and others. Meetings are held annually, and the association publishes a number of newsletters and prestigious peer-reviewed journals, including the American Educational Research Journal, Educational Researcher, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, and Review of Educational Research. It also publishes books and handbooks on educational research.

The association has twelve divisions, including Division K, Teaching and Teacher Education, whose purpose is to support research on teaching and teacher education and foster links among teacher education researchers. It is an interdisciplinary organization; the conference program for its annual meeting demonstrates the wide array of vantage points from which practitioners, scholars, and researchers investigate educational questions. Through its standing committees, the association formulates and disseminates policy statements on complex educational issues and works to establish standards for educational research.

Established in 1968, the American Educational Studies Association is a learned society for those interested in the social foundations of education. Most members are professors who teach and study education from multiple disciplinary perspectives (e.g., philosophy, history, sociology, anthropology, comparative/ international studies). The association seeks to “promote the academic study of educative processes, educational policy, and the school as a fundamental societal institution” (www3.uakron.edu/aesa). A member of the Council of Social Foundations of Education, the American Educational Studies Association actively supports diverse scholarly approaches to the study of education and promotes cross-disciplinary collaboration in educational studies. Its publications include a newsletter and a peer-reviewed journal, Educational Studies.

Founded in 1901, the National Society for the Study of Education is an association of educators, scholars, and policy makers dedicated to the improvement of education research, policy, and practice. The society is the oldest national educational research organization in the United States. It grew out of the National Herbart Society, which was established in 1895. The society publishes a highly regarded series of annual yearbooks that explores topics of interest to educators, administrators, and scholars.

The Society of Professors of Education is a small, interdisciplinary association for individuals engaged in teacher preparation or related activities. Its purpose is to serve the needs and interests of the education professoriat and to provide a forum for discussion of issues and challenges confronting professional educators. Its members include both theoreticians and practitioners in education. The society has established several awards to acknowledge the work of distinguished scholars and institutions. These include the Charles DeGarmo Lecture, the Mary Anne Raywid Award, and the Wisniewski Award for Teacher Education. It publishes a newsletter and two journals, The Sophist’s Bane and Professing Education. Members meet and present papers at the American Educational Research Association annual meeting.

Founded in 1935, the John Dewey Society for the Study of Education and Culture strives to maintain John Dewey’s commitment to the use of reflective and critical intelligence to solve crucial problems in education and culture. The society’s publications include a newsletter; a peer-reviewed journal, Education and Culture; and the annual John Dewey Lecture monograph. It also sponsors the John Dewey

Memorial Lecture given at the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development annual meeting. Members meet and present papers at the American Educational Research Association annual meeting.

Other Organizations

Higher education membership in unions expanded in the late twentieth century. In recent years, the NEA and the American Federation of Teachers, as well as their local and state affiliates, have provided support for collective bargaining (negotiating salaries, benefits, and working conditions) on behalf of unionized college and university faculty members and other employees.

Bibliography:

Dottin, E., Jones, A., Simpson, D., & Watras, J. (2005).
Representing the social foundations of education in NCATE: A chronicle of twenty-five years of effort. Educational Studies: Journal of the American Educational Studies Association, 38(3), 241–254.
Kimball, B. A. (1992). The “true professional ideal” in America: A history. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.
American Educational Studies Association: http://www.educationalstudies.org
Council for Social Foundations of Education: http://www.uic.edu/educ/csfe/index.htm

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