Dispositional Discipline: Fact or Fairy Tale…The Third Rail of Teacher Preparation

• In Event: Poster Session 14
  In Poster Session: Law and Education SIG Poster Session

Abstract

Although there seems to exist a consensus regarding what constitutes the elements of “good teaching”, qualities such as curriculum in the content areas have been traditionally safeguarded by academic freedom. Issues related to grading, program acceptance, program continuation and recommendation for licensure were matters for institutional determination not judicial intervention. Recently, however, courts have suggested a change in judicial oversight of these decisions that will force teacher preparation programs to reexamine they ways and means that “intangible” expectations of candidates can be measured in a legally defensible fashion. This individual paper discussion seeks to provide a forum to describe, examine and discuss various means by which pre-service teacher candidate’s dispositions can be measured and evaluated in a legally defensible fashion.

Authors

• Thomas J. Sheeran, Niagara University

• Vince Joseph Rinaldo, Niagara University

• Walter S. Polka, Niagara University

• Robert Michael Smith, Niagara University