CAEP Accreditation: Educational Neocolonialism and Non-US Teacher Education Programs

Abstract

Under the facade of globalization, educational neocolonialism occurs through the transferring of educational theories and practices from the global north to the global south, potentially challenging and undermining indigenous intellect and epistemic formations. Neocolonialism is supported through the global importing of educational products that create a form of “neocolonialism of the willing.” In this essay, a theoretical framework for examining neocolonialism within educational contexts is used to develop the argument that the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, as a global educational accreditor, is an instrument of neocolonialism that uses its power to grant or deny accreditation to disseminate American understandings of teacher education.