Problematizing Accreditation for Teacher Education

Abstract

This essay aims to problematize US accreditation of teacher education. Foucault’s notion of problematization is used as a theoretical framework to explain how accreditation emerged in the past as a solution to perceived educational problems and how and why the accreditation process has evolved into a problem today. The discussion centers on four main themes: (1) teachers as technicians; (2) academic freedom; (3) distrusting teacher educators; and (4) an emphasis on outcomes. The essay concludes with a suggestion that accreditation has failed to ensure teachers’ readiness for the classroom, arguing that the accreditation process is based on accountability and the promise of performance while being unable to allow for new understandings and possibilities for teacher education.