The Establishment Of American Normal School Association And Its Influence On Early Teacher Education

In the 19 th century, with the development of American public education, a large number of qualified teachers became crying needs, and specialized training for teachers turned out to be an important approach. Normal school as a professional institute was established then by the front-line education workers, government officials, industrialists and people of all circles, which opened the door of teacher education in the United States. However, things were not going well early, and even a mess. Many related problems were addressed urgently. In 1858, American Normal School Association, playing a positive role in early teacher education, was established to provide a platform for headmasters and teachers of each state normal school for education exchange, work communication and problem solving.According to historical materials and related literature, the paper is composed of four parts. The first part mainly talks about the historical background of American Normal School Association and the factors of its building. In the second part, a retrospective look is taken at the course of its establishment and emphasis on its first annual meeting. The third part studies the main topics of its first annual meeting to understand the development of the normal school and reform direction of teacher education at that time. The fourth part is to study the merger and later work of American Normal School Association, aiming at probing into its last development. Finally, the last part summarizes its influence on the early teacher education in the United States.American Normal School Association is the earliest education organization of the United States as the opening of constructing American teachers’ education standard. It also guides the direction of teachers’ education standard and specialization. Meanwhile, it shows the corporation and combination between association organization and teaching institution from a historical view, indicating the function and destiny that the form of transparency has played in history process.