In recent years, teacher education has come under increasingly intensive attention from politicians and policy-makers. In a European context, the influence of Brussels and international agencies such as OECD (OECD, 2005)are already creating a ‘new policy space’ and teacher education is no exception (Lawn & Grek, 2012). Internationally, two distinct policy trends are readily evident. In countries such as Finland, Singapore and Canada, “a clear purpose and direction for a universally strong teacher preparation enterprise” has been forged and programmes “encompass both strong subject matter and pedagogical preparation” in ways that integrate “research and practice”(Darling-Hammond & Lieberman, 2012, pp. 151-152). This enviable set of circumstances is contrasted with what they describe as “’market-driven’ pathways into teaching in England and United States” where  “it is unclear what these governments think a qualified teacher looks like or should be”  (p. 152).

Both trends are underpinned by increasing international competition exacerbated by  PISA results (OECD, 2010). For example, the Department of Education and Skills (DES) in Dublin in response to Irish PISA performance (OECD, 2010) produced a policy to tackle literacy and numeracy (2011). Simultaneously, the Teaching Council published a policy on the ‘Teaching Continuum’ (2011), and ‘Criteria and Guidelines’ for Initial Teacher Education (2011).  The trends above mirror two significantly distinct approaches to accountability—one that grants high levels of respect, trust and autonomy to teachers as professionals, such as Finland (Sahlberg, 2011), and others where a plethora of ‘technologies of control’ through testing, accountability and inspection such as England (Ball, 2003, 2008a, 2008b; Green, 2010; Whitty, 2008). Teacher educators are caught in the cross-fire of these competing and conflicting trends; they are obliged to design and implement Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes that satisfy academic; professional criteria within the University and the increasingly prescriptive requirements specified by accrediting agencies—in the Irish context, the Teaching Council.

Conscious of the policy environment surrounding teacher education, we are particularly focused here on  how the agency of key actors is exercised and how their professional judgements influence the shaping of programmes  and whether these amount to ‘Ketman-like capitulations or constitute  as ‘legitimate compromises’ .  In this regard, we deploy the logics of accountability and professional responsibility as the analytical framework, while we use this abductively to seek out a hybrid language that is less Ketman-like and thus more professionally legitimate and defensible, more positive and generative in its shaping influence on ITE programmes and professional identities  (For an elaboration on these two logics see-- (Dyrdal Solbrekke & Englund, 2011; Englund & Dyrdal Solbrekke, 2011).

The paper:

1)            Investigates and critically discuss the principal discourse(s) in national policy rhetoric(s) on accreditation of initial teacher education against the backdrop of dominant global trends.

2)            Identifies the manner in which the dominant discourses are inscribed into policy and accreditation documents with a shaping influence on student teachers formation processes.

3)            Document the perspectives of key insider actors in teacher education and the accreditation process with particular attention to their implications for policy, practice and professional agencies.  

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