Often in the education community, much is discussed regarding teacher preparedness, teacher attraction, and teacher retention. School administrators are constantly trying to prepare their new recruits to instruct effectively, while simultaneously enjoying the profession. Countries like Scotland and England have Initial Teacher Education programs that support such ideas. These programs are found in universities, colleges, and independent institutions; institutions which mainly support teacher education for degree seeking students or certification seeking teachers. As part of a series for Policy and Practice in Education, Convergence or Divergence: Initial Teacher Education in Scotland and England – 15, Menter et al. (2006) compare the Initial Teacher Education Programs in England and Scotland. Many similarities and differences were found by these researchers as they studied five key themes:
- 1.
accountability;
- 2.
rationalization;
- 3.
universitization;
- 4.
professionalization; and
- 5.
partnership.
Each chapter begins with an “Introduction” section, followed by interviews, and document assessments which support each of the five themes. The authors conclude each chapter with a section titled “Notes”.
In chapter one, Menter et al., provide the reader with key moments in the history of the education programs in England and Scotland. They discuss several important terms that re‐occur as themes throughout the book, and go into detail regarding the actual study. These authors cover the five core points (themes) and describe their importance in determining convergence or divergence between the two countries in their search for (p. 2) “national uniqueness”. Their motivation for this study is found on the very first page (p. 1):
The values that new teachers are expected to expouse and to demonstrate in their work, the curriculum in which they are expected to have expertise and the relationships that they are expected to develop with pupils might all be seen as indicators of how education is expected to develop in the years ahead.
Several times in this chapter, the authors place important concepts and data into tables, which helps organize the reader's thoughts.
The second chapter looks at policy context in both countries for their Initial Teacher Education programs. This chapter helps set the scene for chapters three and four with regard to provisions set by both England and Scotland. Menter et al. give us their personal view of what they regard as proper policy (p. 10):
We see policy as a continuing and continuous process, constantly interacting with the material world of teachers, students and policy makers.
They also use text from several interviews to demonstrate the effectiveness, or lack of effectiveness, in development of Initial Teacher Education programs in England and Scotland. These interviews come from principals of college, heads of faculty/school education programs, and even former senior General Teaching Council officials. The last major section of this chapter, titled Policy Trajectories in Scotland and England: Discussion and Conclusion, provide the reader with the first true findings of possible convergence and divergence between the two countries.
In chapter three, different perspectives on the topic of Professional Knowledge are presented. The authors clearly state that the goal of this chapter is to (p. 36) “gain insights into British approaches to restructuring through seeking to identify what professional knowledge is deemed to be essential in these two countries”. Again, interviews play a major role. They also look at scholarly writings on the concept of professional knowledge and whether knowledge should be based on practice, theory, or an association between them both. As the chapter progresses, the authors review and analyze various documents that help determine how each country defines a teacher. Data reveal several differences and similarities. Through the use of interviews with Higher Education Institution staff, Higher Education tutors, School‐Centered Initial Teacher Training managers, and college lecturers, it is clear that many of the professionals between the two countries are not in equilibrium. The authors show that there is more uniformity with Scotland's professional educators compared with England's educators. Evidence of this is found in two separate statements. First the authors state (p. 47):
[…] (through) review of our Scottish data, it is certainly the case that there is a confident belief in the importance of academic and intellectual development during the process of becoming a teacher, as well as…the need for practical skills development.
Later, the authors add (p. 51):
[…] so in summary, there does appear to be considerable diversity in how professional knowledge is constructed on different programmes in England.
Finally, conclusions are drawn which clearly demonstrate convergence and divergence between the two countries.
Chapter four presents the development of partnerships in England and Scotland. The authors begin by introducing different models of partnerships. Through more in‐depth and extensive interviews, the authors indicate that partnerships are not considered favorably in Scotland. However, they seem to be embraced in England. According to Menter et al. many of the people interviewed in Scotland (p. 61) “showed little interest in the broader aspects of partnership”. For England however the authors summed up a consistent contentment by quoting a school‐based Initial Teacher Training coordinator who stated (p. 71):
I need the university sometimes to step in for the subject … subject knowledge certainly needs to be put in, the subject knowledge in the school is not enough sometimes.
Again, they end with discussion and conclusions, where essentially, they determine that governmental policy is what drives the concept of partnership in both countries.
Chapter five carries the title of the book: Convergence or Divergence: Initial Teacher Education in Scotland and England. The authors do an excellent job of summarizing their data and discuss ways in which the two countries are similar and different. They look at factors that indicate homogeneity and heterogeneity, as well as identifying convergence and divergence between England and Scotland with regard to the five key points established in chapter one. They also discuss problems shown in their study as well as benefits found from their research. They finish by expressing the need to examine more Initial Teacher Education programs in Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and even non‐English speaking countries in Europe.
The authors have organized the contents of this study remarkably well. The use of sub‐titles within each chapter allows the reader to keep all the information structured and comprehendible. This book is also very well written. It has a scholarly approach to it, yet the interviews truly give a “down‐to‐earth” perspective that keeps the reader intrigued. The acronyms can be confusing at times throughout the book. By providing a glossary in the beginning of the text for all the acronyms, it truly helps the reader keep these acronyms in check. In retrospective, the chapter on Professional Knowledge is particularly appealing to this reviewer and quite insightful. Understanding professional knowledge can benefit all educators both nationally and internationally. This book is highly recommended for teachers, coaches, counselors, tutors, and school administrators. It is equally recommended for colleges of education where initial teacher preparation programs are offered. Professors and students can find useful material in this book and use it as a supplementary resource that can further enhance understanding the nature of these programs.
