Partnership in Teacher Education Reform in Ireland: Whither Now?

• In Event: Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: Higher Education, Professional Education, and International Lenses

Abstract

This paper analyses emerging approaches to the regulation of initial teacher education in Ireland, situated against the international backdrop of heightened accountability. In contrast to many other OECD countries, educational policy reform in Ireland has until recently been characterised by consensualism and a partnership approach. In a major departure from previous practice, the Teaching Council in Ireland has now assumed statutory responsibility for the regulation of initial teacher education. This paper explores the tensions that have arisen as the Teaching Council seeks to reconcile the growing demands for tighter regulation and accountability, both nationally and internationally, with its own expressed intention to promote professional responsibility amongst teachers and teacher educators.

Authors

• Eugene Wall, Mary Immaculate College

• Marie Ryan, Mary Immaculate College

• Claire Griffin, Mary Immaculate College