Caught in a Bind: Student Teaching in a Climate of State Reform

Student teaching may require student teachers to address the demands of two masters that often have very different expectations and philosophies. They are caught in a bind of being expected to implement methods advocated in university coursework while also being expected to fit into the classroom to which they are assigned. This bind is further complicated by the tensions inherent in school reform efforts. As schools try to meet the needs of every child, they have adopted all manner of innovations, very often competing with each other. State educational reform with its emphasis on standards, testing, and increased accountability has also exacerbated the dilemma of teacher educators. They also may be caught in a bind of competing beliefs when designing coursework. For example, literacy courses include a component to familiarize preservice students with the standards, benchmarks, evaluation procedures, and the lexicon of reform used by the state. Of more concern, however, is the diminished view of the teacher as curriculum maker who adapts to meet the strengths, needs, and interests of a particular group of children. This study took place at a suburban K-6 school that serves a large percentage of children considered at risk for school failure due to their poverty status. Following a Qualitative Case Study design (Stake, 1995), its purpose was to describe a challenging student teaching context and investigate the outcomes for the student teachers.