Around the world, policymakers have embraced the idea that teachers are among the most important factors in affecting student achievement, yet a review of policies across 25 countries reveals consistent concerns about preparing teachers and the nature of quality preparation (OECD, 2005). In order to address these concerns, researchers in many countries have begun examining the features of strong teacher preparation. Emerging research suggests that one key feature of strong teacher education programs is coherence (Darling-Hammond, 1999, 2006; Grossman, et al., 2008; Hammerness, 2006, in press; Howey & Zimpher, 1989; Korthagen et al., 2006). Coherent programs are purposefully designed and provide a well-structured set of learning experiences. In coherent programs, core ideas and learning opportunities--both in course work and clinical work- are aligned (Darling-Hammond, 1999, 2006; see also Grossman et al. 2008). Finally, coherent programs appear better able to address the gap between theory and practice. Yet while there has been some initial research on coherence in teacher education, we still know very little about the features of programs that may contribute to coherence or how these features might look in different international contexts. 

As part of a cross-cultural analytical framework designed to examine teacher education in different countries, our four-year research project has gathered data in order to analyze both program features and specific assignment practices within teacher education programs that contribute to coherence in programs in Norway, Finland, Cuba, Chile and the United States. The project focuses in particular on the preparation of teachers in language arts and mathematics, which are key subject areas for student learning.

This session will focus on data collected in response to one of our project’s four overarching research questions: What program features contribute to program coherence? To answer this question, the CATE project (Coherence and Assignment Study in Teacher Education) is gathering systematic data from 2 programs in each of four countries and one program in Chile. Data include information on the structural features of the programs (e.g. hours of classroom practice required, demographics of candidates, application and acceptance rates, courses required), descriptions of key program assignments, and interviews with faculty and program directors.  Data also include fieldnotes from classroom observations of the language arts and mathematics methods courses over a three-week period, collection of student work, and surveys of participating students. Classroom observations of teacher education are a particularly important contribution from this study; few research studies have included observations of teacher education classes, and even fewer of classes across different international contexts.

This session reports on initial findings from the CATE study, using these multiple data sources to begin to examine the question of program features that contribute to coherence. The first paper provides an overview of the project, while the following papers share findings from several countries, and focus upon one data source.  Taken together, these papers will provide fresh insight into the conception of coherence by sharing empirical data from different countries regarding the characteristics that may support it.