Listening to the most important voice in teacher education: The voice of the teacher candidate

Abstract

The conversation surrounding the current state of public education in America has become increasingly negative and harsh. The focus of that criticism is often directed at funding issues, charter schools, vouchers, graduation rates, political agendas...and teachers themselves. Understandably, in an effort to address concerns about the quality of teachers, notably new graduates, colleges of education are implementing new programs, new forms of assessment, new forms of student teaching internships, and other reforms. In their attempts to improve teacher quality, however, teacher educators can learn much about the impact of their efforts by listening to the voices of those most closely affected by those changes: their teacher candidates. This study examines what one university learned when they asked for and listened to their new graduates feedback.