From policy to practice: A case study of initial certification reforms in schools of education

Educational reformers have created numerous standards-based reforms aimed at raising teacher quality and thereby the quality of classroom instruction and student learning. Currently, 51 universities and colleges offer initial certification teacher preparation programs in the state of Illinois. Thirty-nine private institutions account for 76 percent of the teacher preparation programs in Illinois; researchers and scholars know very little about how these institutions understand and translate educational policies into practice.; This study was conducted to explore how policy mandates unfolded in three small, private Illinois universities. Case vignettes explore how administrators, instructors, and teacher-candidates interpreted and implemented recent standards-based reforms. The study was guided by three research questions: (1) How do schools of education translate national and state policy mandates for elementary initial certification into university programs? (2) How do Illinois schools of education translate new policy mandates for initial teacher certification programs into practice? (3) How do administrators, instructors, and teacher-candidates at three Illinois schools of education experience and perceive the degree of change that has occurred within their school of education in response to policy mandates? The design of the study blended quantitative and qualitative research tools and strategies including: surveys, semi-structured interviews, and document reviews.; Case vignettes illustrate how these communities of professionals have consciously and conscientiously assumed responsibility for P-12 student achievement through the creation of new and improved teacher preparation programs. The experiences of these three universities demonstrate that symbolic policies do experience a change in both appearance and purpose as they travel the bureaucratic path towards practical implementation. The plethora of reform policies coupled with high stakes accountability demands have produced a breadth of responses as opposed to the depth required for significant change. Schools of education need time and support in building capacity and a shift in ownership. The absence of explicit attention to building depth and capacity within schools limits the means for successful integration of external reforms.