Substance and show: Understanding responses to teacher education programme accreditation processes

This case study investigates how several universities in the state of Connecticut (United States) responded to teacher education accreditation policy between 2002 and 2006. Using a cognitive perspective on policy implementation and a purposeful sample, we describe three common responses: articulation of a programme-wide conceptual framework, greater focus on teacher candidate assessment, and the creation of data collection systems. In addition to these substantive responses, there were also more symbolic responses that allowed for compliance without significant change. Variation in responses was partially explained by the resources available to programmes, programme size and structure, and participants’ beliefs about professional practice.