ABSTRACT
Many authors have questioned why teacher education has not achieved its rightful place in the broad scheme of education (Sheehan and Fullan, 1995; Howey, 1995; Tyson, 1994; Grimmett, 1995; Wideen, 1995; Wideen and Grimmett, 1997). Like the economic trend toward globalization and a free market, the restructuring of teacher education appears to have an irrepressible momentum. How, then, do teacher educators create a constructive counterpoint? We believe such hopeful action is more necessary today than ever. Not to think so equates to folding one's tent. We firmly believe that both effective practice and inquiry in teacher education can play significant roles in changing perceptions about schooling, and in contributing to more effective teaching and learning at all levels in society. But we also recognize that such a belief has to find expression within a changed context, one that emphasizes and encourages government intervention. In this chapter, then, we attempt to illustrate this sense of possibility, of working within government-led restructuring, by examining two international cases of curriculum reform that had clear implications for the restructuring of schools and teacher preparation in Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.
