ABSTRACT
“English” in US secondary schools is an admittedly complex discipline to capture. Integrating the study of literature, composition, and language, English has evolved through the years to also incorporate the study of media, technology, and multiple literacies. Despite the many pathways to the English classroom, some research has shown concerning attrition rates for teachers who enter via alternative routes, while the benefits of completing traditional route teacher certification programs have been more consistently documented. The work of English teacher educators is highly dependent on the context in which their program is located. With high stakes assessments increasingly commonplace, a wide variety of expectations related to English standards, curriculum, and assessment in secondary schools requires teacher educators to prepare English teachers for a wide variety of contexts, since teachers may move beyond the state in which they are educated.
