A Pluralistic Approach to the Revitalization of Teacher Education

This article argues that the stifling of innovation in teacher education has threatened the vitality of the field. Departing from the typical debate over the merits of the traditional versus the alternative route, this article encourages a pluralistic approach to teacher preparation that the author believes holds promise for revitalizing the field of teacher education. It highlights an innovative approach to teacher education taken by nonuniversity providers that may serve as models for future teacher education reform efforts and concludes with a challenging agenda for policy makers to create an environment in which multiple providers of teacher education are given the opportunity to innovate with new models for improving teacher education.