Federal Role in Teacher Quality: “Redefinition” or Policy Alignment?

Abstract

Although state attention to teacher preparation and professional development began more than 150 years ago with the provision of teacher education in Massachusetts, the federal government did not get involved in teacher preparation and development until the late 1950s. Even then, Washington lawmakers generally restricted their activities to financial assistance for in-service training and college aid for teachers. Over time, the federal approach to teacher education has expanded in shape and scope, even as some continued to characterize it as peripheral to core issues of instruction. Today, with the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the federal government claims to have redefined its role. By tracing the evolution of federal involvement in teacher education over time, this study finds that the act’s provisions may reflect an ongoing attempt beginning in the 1990s to align teacher preparation and professional development activities with K-12 educational reform efforts.