| This dissertation investigated whether state-mandated teacher tests drove organizational change in Massachusetts public schools of education and whether those changes were consistent with the "Five Essentials for Excellence in Early Childhood Teacher Preparation" as defined in the U.S. Department of Education's publication New Teachers for a New Century. The Future of Early Childhood Professional Preparation (2000).;Data were gathered from three Massachusetts public institutions: one university, one 4-year college and one community college. The procedure included an administrative questionnaire, institutional documents, site visits, observations, and qualitative interviews with administrators and faculty. To enhance validity, each participant was given a copy of their respective interview notes for review and comment, and at least one informant from each case study site was given a copy of their respective site report for review and comment.;Faculty interview questions were modeled after Livingston Turner's design used in her research of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exams (2001), and the questionnaire for administrators was influenced by the Nursing Work Empowerment Scale (Chandler & Laschinger, 1999) and Kanter's theory of organizational change (1992).;The case study showed that there have been broad changes in control, and while some of the changes support the Five Essentials, other changes have created barriers for students seeking teacher licensure. The findings also question the sustainability of changes created by the unfunded mandates during fiscally challenging times, the accuracy of the forecasted teacher shortage in early childhood education, and the impact of the mandates on students of color. Lastly, the findings question the role of public higher education as teacher preparatory institutions and where schools of education fit within the Massachusetts public system of higher education. |
