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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 482 173 JC 030 610 Hampton, Julie Clark AUTHOR Teacher Education: A Community College Perspective. TITLE 2001-00-00 PUB DATE 157p.; Doctoral dissertation submitted to Saint Louis NOTE University for Ed.D. Dissertations/Theses Doctoral Dissertations (041) PUB TYPE Information Analyses (070) Reports Research (143) EDRS Price MF01/PC07 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE *Community Colleges; Curriculum Design; *Curriculum DESCRIPTORS Development; Educational Development; *Teacher Education; *Teacher Education Curriculum; Teacher Education Programs; Teacher Educator Education; Two Year Colleges *Jefferson College MO IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT This document iscusses teacher education reform and how it has led to many changes in the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) approval process for colleges of education. The curricula of teacher education programs have since gone through changes in efforts to adapt to statewide initiatives. The paper outlines findings from research to develop the most appropriate curriculum for the teacher education program at Jefferson College, a Community College in Missouri. It also describes how the curriculum was developed by: (1) reviewing literature regarding teacher preparation, learning theories, and community colleges; (2) analyzing the relevant documents such as the Missouri Standards for Teacher Education Programs (MoSTEP), the Statewide Teacher Education Articulation Project (STEAP) guidelines, and the Credit Transfer: Guidelines for Student Transfer and Articulation Among Missouri Colleges and Universities; (3) the findings from the literature review and the document analyses were synthesized to produce the framework for an effective teacher education (4) areas of consonance and dissonance were noted between the program; a new program was designed developed program and the former program; and (5) for Jefferson College based on all of these findings. Contains the MoSTEP standards, the STEAP guidelines, the Credit Transfer: Guidelines for Student Transfer and Articulation Among Missouri Colleges and Universities, an outline of the data gathered, 17 tables, and 82 references. (JS) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. TEACHER EDUCATION: A COMMUNITY COLLEGE PERSPECTIVE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION kCENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as receiV'ed from the person or organization originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to Julia Clark Hampton, B.A., M.S. improve reproduction quality.' Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 1 A Project Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Saint Louis University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education 2001 BEST COPY AVAILABLE COMMITTEE IN CHARGE OF CANDIDACY: Associate Professor Gerard A. Fowler, Chairperson and Advisor Professor Michael P. Grady Professor Charles Michael Stanton i 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I could not have completed this Ed.D. Project without assistance from would like to many people, both on a professional and a personal basis. First, I acknowledge Dr. Gerard Fowler, my committee Chairperson and Advisor, who led me through this Ed.D. Project with honesty and sage advice. I also would like to thank Dr. C. M. Stanton and Dr. Michael Grady for sharing their time and expertise as committee members for my Project; their recommendations enhanced my writing. Furthermore, I am grateful to Dr. Richard Breslin and Dr. Roy Cheatham for their assistance in strengthening my proposal. I consider myself privileged to have studied with such knowledgeable professors at Saint Louis University. In addition, I would like to recognized my colleagues at Jefferson College for their assistance. They listened to me, kept me on track when I panicked, and I wish to thank all of them for their proofread at a moment's notice. encouragement, words of wisdom, and help. On a personal basis, I would like to express my unending gratitude to my family. My parents, Graham and Elizabeth Clark, not only introduced me to academe, but inspired me to be my best. Trish, Denise, and Kristi provided unwavering support. They counseled, cajoled, nudged, and, a few times, even I share any success I have with them. pushed a bit. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables iv Introduction to the Project Chapter 1: 1 Background of the Project: A National Focus 2 Missouri Issues and Initiatives 10 Jefferson College Perspectives 16 Conclusion 17 Review of Literature Chapter 2: 19 Teacher Education: The Current Situation 19 Historical Perspectives 25 Teacher Preparation Curriculum: An Overview 37 Conclusion 43 Chapter 3: 45 Methodology Research Design 45 Conclusion 50 Presentation of Results Chapter 4: 51 Document Review Results 51 Conclusions Regrading Best Practices 58 62 Curriculum Design 74 Conclusion Summary and Discussion Chapter 5: 75 Statement of the Problem 75 Review of the Methodology 75 76 Summary of Results 78 Discussion 81 Appendices Appendix A 81 96 Appendix B 102 Appendix C Appendix D 131 143 References 150 Vita Auctoris 111 LIST OF TABLES Teacher Education Curricular Design Comparison Table 12 1 Comparison of Current Rule to Proposed Rule Table 2 15 Types of Teacher Preparation Programs Table 23 3 Research Study Planning Matrix 49 Table 4 Liberal Arts Component Table 56 5 Professional Studies Component 57 Table 6 Cross-curricular Aspects Table 58 7 Extracurricular Issues Table 58 8 Exploring the Field of Education Course Content 68 Table 9 Foundations of Education Course Content 69 Table 10 Introduction to Teaching, Learning & Assessment Table 11 Course Content 70 Human Development Course Content Table 71 12 Computers for Teachers Course Content Table 71 13 Portfolio Course Content 72 Table 14 Teacher Education Program Sample Degree Plan 73 Table 15 Overview of Curriculum 76 Table 16 Teacher Education Core 77 Table 17 iv 6 Teacher Education: A Community College Perspective Chapter 1 Introduction to the Project The continuing nationwide focus on the need to improve the education and training of teachers has led to changes in the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) approval process for colleges of education. This development, along with other national developments, initiated revisions in the curricula of many of these teacher education programs. However, community colleges in Missouri have not been able to respond appropriately to these changes due to restrictions placed on their course offerings by a Missouri State Board of Education rule. Acknowledging this problem, the Statewide Teacher Education Articulation Project (STEAP), sponsored by DESE, has proposed both a rule change and a basic description of areas of emphasis and cross-program themes that would best prepare freshman- and sophomore-level students for entrance into a college of education. Cognizant of these statewide initiatives, this Ed.D. Project developed the most appropriate curriculum for the teacher preparation program at Jefferson College, a community college in Missouri. The first step in developing this curriculum involved a literature review regarding teacher preparation, learning theories, and community colleges to discover the best practices for this setting. Next, relevant documents (e.g., the Missouri Standards for Teacher Education 1 7 2 Programs [MoSTEP], STEAP guidelines, Credit Transfer: Guidelines for Student Transfer and Articulation Among Missouri Colleges and Universities) were carefully analyzed. Finally, the findings of these document analyses were synthesized with the conclusions from the review of literature regarding best practices. This synthesis provided a framework for an effective teacher education program at Jefferson College and was compared to the present program. Areas of consonance and dissonance were noted, and a new program was designed based on all of these findings. Background of the Project: A National Focus The prevailing nationwide focus on the need to improve teacher education was evident during the 2000 State of the Union address where President Clinton referenced the need to improve teacher preparation and proposed making one billion dollars available to improve teacher quality. This money is to be used to address professional development as well as targeted recruitment and financial aid for students who would teach in low income communities (Burd, 2000). Secretary of Education Richard Riley has made it clear that colleges need to improve teacher education, and that the administration supports efforts to that effect (Basinger, 1999a, 1999b). Also, a recent report from the National Governors' Association echoes this need to improve teacher preparation and quality (Hardi, 2000), as does the rhetoric of the presidential candidates (Basinger, 2000). This emphasis on the need for better teachers began in the mid 1980s as a 8 3 of A Nation component of the wave of school reforms inspired by the publication at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform (Barker, 1996; Kelly, 1999; Gough, 1999). This publication delineated the findings of the National Commission on Excellence in Education (NCEE). In 1981, Secretary of Education T. H. Bell appointed this commission to address "the widespread public perception that something is seriously remiss in our educational system" and charged them with "assessing the quality of teaching and learning in our Nation's public and private schools, colleges, and universities" (NCEE, 1983, p.1). After painted a dismal picture of the an eighteen-month study, the Commission's report educational system in the United States and stated that there existed "a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a Nation and a people" (p. 5). While the report found a wide range of causes for this mediocrity, one factor noted was the "need to improve teaching and learning" (p. 12). Specifically regarding teacher education, the report lamented the fact that teacher too few of the top students were pursuing the teaching profession, and that education programs needed "substantial improvement" (NCEE, 1983, p. 22). Regarding this later finding, the commission identified the content of the teacher preparation programs as problematical. The report states, "The teacher preparation curriculum is weighted heavily with courses in "educational methods" institutions at the expense of courses in subjects to be taught. A survey of 1,350 training teachers indicated that 41 percent of the time of elementary school teacher candidates is spent in education courses, which reduces the amount of time 9 4 available for subject matter courses" (p. 22). The commission, to address this problem, recommended that teacher education students be required to "meet high educational standards, to demonstrate an aptitude for teaching, and to demonstrate competence in an academic discipline," and that these programs "should be judged by how well their graduates meet these criteria" (p. 30). While there were numerous examples of legislation to address this report (Bell, 1993), one example which reflects these recommendations is Missouri's new MoSTEP approval process for teacher preparation programs, which uses student outcomes as a measure of program quality. While A Nation at Risk was the one publication that received the most attention and initiated the largest number of reforms, there were others who issued reports during this same time that corroborated the Commission's conclusion that teachers needed to be better educated, such as John I. Goodlad, Theodore Sizer, and the Education Commission of the States (United States Department of Education [US DOE], 1984). Goodlad, specifically, spoke very directly to the need for improved teacher preparation. The publication in 1984 of A Place Called School by Goodlad led him to initiate a five-year study of teacher preparation in the United States and the subsequent publication of three more books, Places Where Teachers are Taught (Goodlad, Soder & Sirotnik, 1990b), The Moral Dimensions of Teaching (Goodlad, Soder & Sirotnik, 1990a) and Teachers for our Nation's Schools (Goodlad, 1990). This was followed in 1994 by Educational