Preparing America's Teachers: A History

by James W. Fraser, Barbara Finkelstein (Series Editor), William Reese (Series Editor)

The preparation of America's teachers is among the foremost issues facing education in the United States today. In this compelling account, James W. Fraser, an eminent historian of education, takes readers through two centuries of teacher preparation to uncover its development from colonial times to current standards-based models. Fraser examines a broad array of institutional arrangements, such as more familiar "normal schools" and less well-known arrangements, including teacher institutes and high school programs in rapidly expanding cities, segregated communities, rural areas, and Indian reservations. For any reader wishing to understand how to prepare teachers and reform schools, Fraser's incisive survey provides much-needed historical grounding.

Genres: Education

304 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2006

Reviews

[AJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good history of how public school teachers have been prepared. For the most part, it reads quite nicely.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of the subject, raising important trends that have been repeated throughout time.

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very dense, but an enlightening read. Historical perspective without much bias or analysis of positive or negative impact.