Chapter 5: Defining and Credentialing the Expertise of School-Based Teacher Educators (Cooperating Teachers): A Conceptual Model Based on the Nursing Preceptor Process

As the education profession continues to evolve its understanding of the necessary components to effective teacher preparation, the breadth, depth, and overall quality of clinical practice has been consistently shown to predict readiness of new graduates to enter the profession. Effective clinical practice requires the direct participation of experienced educators. These professionals support beginning educators in numerous ways, serving as supervisor, mentor, and coach, among other roles. That said, the education profession continues to be inconsistent in what the roles and responsibilities of these professionals should be. The nursing profession, through its use of the preceptor, provides a compelling example for the teaching profession. Using the nursing profession and the use of a preceptor nurse educator to support beginning nurses’ clinical experiences, this chapter provides educator preparation programs with a conceptual model for moving the current practice of supporting teacher candidates’ clinical practice to a standards-driven, profession-wide credentialing process for school-based teacher educators.