What constitutes a high quality teacher education program and what standards teacher candidates should meet before receiving their teaching credential? This volume advances deep understanding of the nature and sources of policy affecting the preparation of teachers in the U.S. and the conflicts or interconnections of these policies with the broader field of education policy.

Contributions from actors in the policy world and experts representing the stakeholders are balanced and based on issues currently facing the field. Policy is viewed as evolving and political. The connection or lack thereof between policy and research is examined. Policy case studies ground the principles developed within specific chapters in practice and illustrate that policy questions and solutions are continually evolving and unsettled. Chapter-end commentaries by the editors relate the focus of each chapter to the overarching themes of the book: policy formation, policy influences, policy paradoxes, and connections to research. This volume is an essential resource for understanding and resolving today’s uncertainty and confusion over teacher education policy.