Leading from Behind: a comparative view of the proposed reform of teacher training.

The evidence submitted to the House of Commons Select Committee on Education by the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers (see pp. 221-231) is focused on standards in teacher education and arises out of a concern, on the part of those currently responsible for the provision of teacher training in the universities, about the actual and proposed changes in the administrative arrangements under which it is conducted. This paper reviews the changes from a comparative perspective so as to inform overseas readers about English practice, assess it in the context of the 'global village' and understand the implications for the future of teacher training in the universities. The present administrative structures for initial teacher training in England and Wales (Scotland and Ireland having their own systems) are placed in a comparative framework by drawing on the arrangements made in some other countries to clarify the role of the universities in this area during an era of economic and political change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]