University-School Divide: The Original Problem in Teacher Education

Abstract

This paper focuses on the origins of the university-school divide in teacher education. For decades, the weakness of communicative and collaborative links between the university and K-12 system has been one of the most significant barriers to effective preparation of new teachers identified by researchers and policy makers. Historical obstacles, such as disconnects between coursework and field work, divides between professional knowledge and skilled practice, and competing goals and priorities between organizations continue to plague the work of teacher preparation. The problem of the university-school divide in teacher education is further surfaced by scholarship that points to benefits of embedding teacher preparation in the K-12 setting and burgeoning research that suggests clinical practice is central to high-quality teacher preparation. This paper presents a case study investigating the organizational contexts of the university-school relationship in a teacher education program and draws on third-generation activity theory and activity system analysis to explore the evolving partnership institutionally, culturally, and historically. Findings reveal that transactional relationships between system elements shape collaborative activities and partnerships and show multilevel contradictions within and across collective activities, suggesting potential for expansive development.