NCATE Panel to Weigh Student-Teacher Fieldwork

Additional emphasis on 'practice-based' training expected

In a sign of the increasing influence of teacher-preparation models that emphasize practical experience over coursework, the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education has convened a high-powered panel to study ideas for updating student-teaching.

The recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Clinical Preparation, Partnerships, and Improved Student Learning, which will be unveiled this spring, also will serve as a template for the Washington-based organization to upgrade its clinical-fieldwork accreditation standard.

“We’ve put this on a fast track,” said James G. Cibulka, the president of NCATE. “We didn’t want to create a commission that would study it for...