Externally imposed curriculum change in colleges of education: A qualitative case study of the development of a knowledge base

The purpose of this study was to describe and understand the antecedent conditions, process, and outcomes associated with the interpretation of Standard I.A: Design of Curriculum, the first standard of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) redesign, by one large midwestern college of education. Eighteen college of education informants who participated in the development of the curriculum design at the single site investigated and seven national informants who participated in the NCATE redesign and/or the implementation of Standard I.A, the knowledge base standard, were involved in the study. Through interviews, document reviews, and participant-observation, the redesign of NCATE, the development of the curriculum design standard, and the interpretation of the standard by one college of education and its impact on that college were explored. The results of the study included the following: (1) The NCATE redesign was intended to promote the quality of teacher education through the articulation of high professional standards and the application of a rigorous process of assessment. (2) The inclusion of Standard I.A in the NCATE redesign was intended to ensure that coherent teacher education curriculum founded on inquiry and scholarship was developed through a systematic, collaborative process