Preparing School Personnel for the 21st Century.

Potential, Power, and Possibilities

Teacher education is a complex realm in which thoughtful decision-making, reflective practice, and a critical perspective are required. As the new millennium begins, it is clear that these complexities will only increase.

A few years ago, I was approached by an administrator of a school district located in a rural mountain community. Recently hired, he explained that his newfound responsibilities included finding ways to support the professional development of the district's teachers. After some investigation, he was surprised to learn that the vast majority of teachers did not have master's degrees, and that they had never even considered the possibility of pursuing advanced studies.

The superintendent had expressed support for professional development and district officials had openly encouraged graduate work by making a strong contractual agreement that included provisions for tuition reimbursement and an increased pay scale for those who successfully completed graduate classes. While teachers were well aware of these provisions and incentives, and they expressed a desire to grow professionally, they felt that their rural, isolated location made these goals difficult to obtain. They could not fathom a way of making the two-hour trek to the university on a weekly basis. They wondered where they would be able to find the needed books, journals, and academic resources to complete their studies. And, they could not imagine finding the time to complete advanced coursework, on top of managing their already overloaded teaching schedules.

Potential

Armed with this information, the administrator and I began to formulate a plan to meet the needs of the teachers, working within the district's stated parameters. We scheduled convenient, accessible after-school classes that would be held on site. Professors would do the traveling and bring the course to the rural area, rather than requiring the class participants to commute to the university. Graduate assistants would be on site to work with teachers throughout the week, by conducting demonstration lessons, conferencing, and providing resources for professional support. Assignments would be correlated with the teachers' established responsibilities in an effort to make learning meaningful and to ensure that they would receive university credit for "real world" learning in a purposeful context.

Soon, a plan was in place to make it possible for interested teachers to enroll in graduate classes, update their skills, enhance their knowledge base, be part of a supportive community of learners, and obtain a master's degree within the realistic time frame of two to three years. After advertising within the district, the courses were filled within a matter of days. It became very clear that these teachers were vitally interested in their professional development, and that they only needed practical support that made it possible for them to pursue it.

Power

If the story concluded here, it would have a happy ending. It did not, however. The day before we finalized plans to initiate the program, the administrator called to say that district officials had decided to withdraw their participation in the partnership. After much discussion, the administrator admitted that the district superintendent had pulled his support due to concern that the program would be too successful. That is, he was concerned that too many teachers would take advantage of this opportunity, thus requiring the district to reimburse tuition dollars, raise teacher salaries, and allow a newly empowered faculty to participate more fully in decision-making processes. In the words of the superintendent, "This thing could spin out of control. We have to nip it in the bud."

And, indeed, it was nipped. The university-district partnership was dissolved before it began, the classes were canceled, and the professional development plan remained what it had always been: strong on paper, yet virtually non-existent in reality. The contract and district officials continued to express support for teachers' growth and development; however, they made no effort to provide practical support. Apparently, it was much more comfortable to talk about teacher empowerment and professional growth than to facilitate it.

As for us, the bewildered young administrator and I were left to consider the risks and realities of working within the education system. We were reminded that while the path to supporting teachers' ongoing education and development is full of potential and possibilities, it also is littered with very real obstacles and power struggles--ones that need to be carefully navigated and approached with tenacity, diplomacy, and a well-grounded vision. The real losers are the students, who deserve to be taught by education professionals who are current in their fields and who view themselves not only as quality teachers, but also as impassioned, life-long learners.

When discussing professional preparation and development, it is important to keep the welfare of teachers and students central; in the long run, it is the very nature of teachers' work and the quality of children's education that are at stake. The ways in which we go about preparing teachers and other school personnel matter, and the content and formats of programs have the power to affect the world of education and beyond. Therefore, models of teacher education and innovative programs of professional development are worthy of our collective attention.

Preparing School Personnel for the 21st Century

When we initially proposed the topic for the Annual Theme 2000 issue of Childhood Education, we wondered what type of response we might receive. As teacher educators, we were curious to find out whether our personal interest in preparing school personnel for the 21st century would be embraced by others in the field. Our answer came in an overwhelming response to our call for manuscripts. For weeks, a steady stream of manuscripts poured into our mailboxes. These manuscripts examined a number of critical issues, including the relationship between higher education and public schools, the joys and challenges of teaching in an increasingly diverse society, the role of the arts, the impact of technology, the needs of nontraditional learners, the importance of providing ongoing mentoring for new teachers, and many more topics. Some manuscripts were content-specific to a particular curricular area, while others were more global in nature. The manuscripts described a host of innovative programs designed to prepare school personnel to work in a variety of settings ranging from infant nurseries to preschools, and from elementary classrooms to middle and secondary level learning environments. Some manuscripts were focused on small, classroom-based learning projects. Others dealt with program reform within academic departments in institutions of higher education. Still others described more widespread initiatives that extended into the community and workplace. Each was passionate and contained a forward-looking vision for the preparation of those who will care for and teach our children in the 21st century.

In this issue, we present a series of articles in which the authors explore the potential of many different approaches to teacher education and the professional development of school personnel. The diversity of the manuscripts attests to the fact that teacher education is a complex realm in which thoughtful decision-making, reflective practice, and a critical perspective are required. As the new millennium begins, it is clear that these complexities will only increase, and that the education community must look for long-term solutions rather than quick fixes to the challenges that characterize the professional preparation of teachers and other school personnel. We hope that these articles will serve as an invitation to readers to celebrate some of the many promising initiatives that are occurring in the field, as well as to participate fully in nurturing professional development for educators at all points in their careers. It is our collective responsibility and privilege; it is the work of a lifetime.

Patricia A. Crawford is Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Early Childhood Education, University of Central Florida, Orlando.