Exploring Education Legislation and Policy in Early Childhood Teacher Education

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Sunday 9:45 am
  In Poster Session: From Policy to Practice: Equity, Mentorship, and Transformative Learning in Preservice Teacher Education

Abstract

Although early childhood teachers’ experiences in schools are shaped by a range of education policies and legislation, these topics are largely absent from teacher education programs. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe how 15 teacher candidates (TCs) engaged with policy. We uncovered the ways three distinct modes of engagement uniquely inform teacher educators’ practices. Our findings illuminate the crucial role teacher educators play in supporting TCs’ active participation in the policy conversations that shape their practices. Ultimately, the results point to the importance of making room for critical conversations about educational policy in early childhood teacher education programs in order to position teachers as active participants in policy work rather than passive objects of reform.

Authors

• Jolyn Blank, University of South Florida

• Sophia Han, University of South Florida

• Daria Smirnova, University of South Florida