"It's a Real Tightrope We Have to Walk": Teacher Educators as Policy Advocates

• In Event: The Influence and Construction of Teacher Preparation Policies

Abstract

Teacher educators are increasingly called to engage in policy debates, yet to date only a few teacher educators have engaged in advocacy to preserve democratic public education. As a multi-case qualitative project, this study explores how some teacher educators develop the capacity for policy engagement, what resources and supports they draw on, as well as what challenges they face. Data sources include 11 participant interviews, participant-supplied artifacts, policy documents, and participant testimonies in official policymaking and legislative meetings. Cross-case themes include teacher educators’ critical vigilance, production of counter discourses, and counter-conduct. This study shows that taking responsibility for educational futures requires collective will, networks of like-minded and committed actors, and transformations in the work of teacher educators and educational researchers.

Authors

• Elena Aydarova, Auburn University

• James Kieran Rigney, University of Florida

• Nancy Fichtman Dana, University of Florida