This text explores the issue of what role, if any, higher education should play in intial teacher training. The authors argue for the continued involvement of higher education in teacher training and cover such areas as the 1994 Education Act, the role of universities and the schools consortia.

"Women Teachers and Popular Education in Nineteenth-Century France is a study of the network of women's teacher training schools, known as the ecoles normales primaires, that were gradually created in France during the nineteenth century. Although this study focuses on the recruitment of teachers, their pedagogical and social instruction, and the teachers' professional formation as part of a corporate group, the book also ties these teacher-related issues to the universal development of public primary education in France. Based on numerous national and departmental archives, the study also explores the social values inherent to public education in modern France through the corporate model of the women's normal schools."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

‘Here is a book for our times: a study in three countries of the relationship between teacher education and the universities. An Englishman looks at France; a Frenchman at the USA and two Americans at England, with the whole introduced and rounded off by Harry Judge, who was also the interlocutor of France ... It is a notable addition to the Oxford Studies in Comparative Education.’ John Tomlinson, Director of the Institute of Education, University of Warwick, The Times Educational Supplement ‘... this is an outstanding book on several levels. ... it is a worthwhile read for audiences well beyond those directly involved in teacher education. It will be of particular interest to researchers and students of comparative education. At a time when politicians seem bent on importing educational practices from other countries, it reminds us that there are no easy “lessons” to be learnt through international comparisons and that we cannot suppose that what is identified as good practice in one country can easily be imported elsewhere without taking into account the cultural context within which it is successful.’ Marilyn Osborn, University of Bristol, Comparative Education ‘The book is beautifully and engagingly written, enlivened by the authors’ efforts to make sense of that which is foreign to their personal educational experiences. The narratives are rich in detail and insights about the forms of teacher education and the cultural logic of their suitability. The chapters provoke “thought experiments” of a kind that are suggestive of outcomes for university-based teacher education if reforms currently proposed in one nation prove to be similar to long-standing practices in the others.’ Frank B. Murray, University of Delaware, Comparative Education Review The work recorded in this book was undertaken over four years, with support from the Spencer Foundation of Chicago and under the direction of Harry Judge of the University of Oxford. Michel Lemosse teaches at the University of Nice, and Lynn Paine & Michael Sedlak at Michigan State University.

The Council of Europe's work on history teaching in secondary schools has three main thrusts: curriculum development, textbooks and teaching materials, and teacher training, which should take into account societal developments and the cultural needs of coming generations. This pilot study is the first comparative study on the structures of initial training for history teachers to be carried out in several European countries. Its aim is to provide information that will raise the level of professionalism not only of history teaching, but also of teacher training.--Publisher's description.

This overview is intended to serve as a guide to readers in England and Wales who are not familiar with the initial training and qualifications of teachers in other member states in the European Community. The guide covers programs in Belgium (Flemish community), Denmark, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom--Scotland. The text is presented on a country by country basis and is structured under five headings as follows: (1) types of school; (2) categories of teacher according to training and type of school; (3) requirements for admission to teacher training; (4) teacher training process, outlining the level, length, and content of teacher training for each category of teacher; and (5) qualifications that accord qualified teacher status. An insert provides this same information for England and Wales. (AMH)