Teacher Certification and the Professional Status of Teaching in North America

This book locates recent developments in teacher certification in North America within a broaderinternational policy context characterized as hegemonic neo-liberalism wherein economic rationalismhas begun to trump professional judgment. We focus on teacher certification because itaddresses fundamental questions about who will teach what are the required minimum levels ofcompetence and who will make those decisions. Such questions are central to teaching constitutinga new battleground for education in North America.Two ideas-economic rationalism and professionalization-have become pivotal to educationpolicy. Economic rationalism finds its expression in a free market ideology. Professionalization has two meanings: professionalizingthe practice of teaching (constructing a professional knowledge base); and professionalizing the status of teaching (through links withuniversities and self-regulation). These ideas' contestation varies by setting. In the USA neo-liberalism has attacked professionalknowledge questioning its scientific veracity. Professionalization advocates claim that the neo-liberalist aim is to undermine teachingas a profession. In Canada neo-liberalist critics are heard but have limited impact on policy. Professionalization has emphasized teachers'pedagogical development and a valuing of the field's input into teacher preparation.Neo-liberalist economic rationalism plays itself out overtly in the USA as de-regulation; in Canada it lies embedded within labormobility agreements. In the USA professionalization highlights professionalism in practice; in Canada the governance of teaching.This book explores how economic rationalism is using labor mobility agreements in Canadaas a covert operation analogous to de-regulation in the USA to assert its dominance in thebattle to de-professionalize teaching in North America.