Today CPRT publishes the latest in its series of evidence reviews. Policy and research evidence in the ‘reform’ of primary teacher education has been commissioned from Olwen McNamara and Rebecca Phillips of the University of Manchester, together with Jean Murray of the University of East London. It reviews developments since the publication of Olwen McNamara’s report on the same topic in 2008, which in revised form became a chapter in The Cambridge Primary Review Research Surveys (2010). The latest report thus offers an invaluable historical perspective as well as a wealth of evidence on recent changes and current policy in teacher education discourse, policy and practice. It also identifies problems in the trajectory of teacher education policy and makes recommendations for system-level improvement. Now that teacher education’s centre of gravity has shifted from universities to schools, it is more essential than ever for school leaders to consider issues such as those raised in this report.
As usual, CPRT provides both the full report and a four-page briefing/executive summary. Both may be freely downloaded and circulated.