School Administrators’ Perspectives on Barriers to Schools’ Contributions to the Preparation of Preservice Teachers

• In Event: Expanding Approaches to Teacher Education

Abstract

Increasing the amount of school-based preparation requires that school professionals adopt initial teacher preparation as one of its core responsibilities. From a survey completed by 172 school administrators in Chile, we concluded that they enthusiastically worked with student teachers, but more reluctantly hosted initial field-experience candidates. They believed that preservice teachers should come to their schools already prepared to do the work, thus lessening the role school practitioners could play as teacher educators. Follow-up in-depth interviews helped identify barriers that discourage them from taking greater responsibility for the preparation of preservice teachers. Findings reinforce the need for mutual commitment to goals shared by the schools and preparation programs as well as mutual commitment to each other’s unique goals.

Authors

• Carmen Montecinos, Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso

• Horacio Walker, Universidad Diego Portales

• Monica Cortez, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso

• Andrea Ceardi, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso