*Teacher Education Programs

The U.S. Department of Education recently identified five essential components for excellence in early childhood teacher preparation programs. This dissertation proposal outlines a study to examine the 41 two-and four-year early childhood teacher preparatory institutions in Massachusetts, using these 5 "essentials for excellence. " Those characteristics are: (1) interdisciplinary preparation for diverse early childhood settings; (2) a system that balances specialized preparation with realism and accessibility; (3) faculty with resources to prepare tomorrow's professionals; (4) structures and processes to support and sustain innovation; and (5) tools to define, recognize, and assess high quality early childhood teacher preparation. This proposal outlines the conceptual framework to be used in the study, examines the impact of educational reform in Massachusetts, and identifies two major research questions: (1) Do early childhood teacher preparatory programs in 2- and 4-year institutions o