ABSTRACT:  Turkey embarked on an ambitious and comprehensive reform of primary and secondary education during the 1990s with the intention of modernizing schools and teacher training in response to the rise of the global knowledge economy.  All aspects of teaching, learning, and educational infrastructure were slated for thorough-going change.  Further, given the highly centralized nature of Turkish educational administration, the consequences of this large-scale reform were felt throughout the national system of education, including the universities where teachers are trained.  Indeed, teaching was redefined from its traditional designation as a vocation to that of a profession.   Certification standards for teachers were increased; in-service requirements were formalized; and new levels of accountability were imposed.  At the center of this profound transformation were university-level teacher educators who were held to be responsible for developing a “new teacher” for the global competitor Turkey aspired to become.  This paper examines the effectiveness of the reform in Turkish teacher education during this period with specific attention to the views of a national sample of teacher educators taken some years after these reforms were completed.  The topics examined will include teacher educator views of the curriculum reform, restructuring of faculties of education, accreditation and teacher in-service training dimensions of the reform effort.  Additionally, current education reform efforts are analyzed through the lens of the extensive reforms about which this paper is concerned. 

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