Cacophony or Embarrassment of Riches

Abstract

Teacher quality is at the center of today’s ardent discussions about the educational system, with calls for the reform and critical review of teacher development programs. There is no lack of activity in response to these calls. There are thousands of teacher education, induction, and professional programs in the U.S. which offer teachers a veritable carnival of options. But these options exist in a (non)system with little coherence or control. In this article, the authors outline the dimensions of the variability of teacher learning opportunities currently available, the unintended consequences of that variability, and the challenges faced by educators as we attempt to reform the system, respond to our critics, and offer teachers coherent learning experiences that lead to high quality teaching.