ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the increasing role of venture philanthropy and the ideas of educational entrepreneurship and disruptive innovation in influencing the course of federal and state policies and practices in teacher education in the US. It presents a framework that describes the major positions that exist today regarding the future of US teacher education and introduces the narratives of crisis and salvation that underlie reformers' critiques of university teacher education. The chapter discusses relatively recent changes in the nature and extent of educational philanthropy's role in influencing teacher education policies and practices. Following this analysis of the changing role of philanthropy in teacher education, it also presents the example of the role of the New Schools Venture Fund, one of most influential venture philanthropy groups in US education in promoting deregulation and competition in teacher education. Advocates of deregulation and markets frequently complain about the high cost of university teacher education and the waste of public resources.
