Design for change: Goals and assumptions

This book is about improving the quality of teacher education. In this chapter we will develop the context for the book, describe the assumptions on which it is based and overview each of the chapters. Over the last 20 years, numerous international and national reports and accounts of them (e.g., Bahr & Mellor, 2016; Caldwell & Sutton, 2010; Carnegie Corporation of New York, 2006; Hartsuyker, 2007; Ingvarson et al., 2014; Levine, 2006; National Research Council, 2010; Next Steps, 2021; Ramsay, 2000; Tatto, 2021; UNESCO, 2022; Wilson, 2020) have called for major improvements in how teachers are selected and prepared for classroom practice. These reports often generate significant political debate and controversy as the many stakeholder groups in education interpret the policy implications and admonitions contained in these documents from the often-conflicting perspectives of their different constituencies.