Teaching and Leading for Human Flourishing - Creating a Liberal Arts Framework for Teacher Preparation

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Pentious

Article examines how education faculty at liberal arts colleges often face pressures from external communities that force curricular and instructional compromises, potentially undermining liberal education’s developmental goals. It outlines tensions among traditional academy expectations, P–12 school partnerships, and policy and accreditation requirements, then presents a liberal arts teacher-preparation framework, describing its development process and resulting benefits for candidates and institutions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Education Faculty and Three Communities

Traditional academy roles

P–12 school community partnerships

Policy and accreditation community

Tension Between the Three Communities

Standards and performative evidence

Liberal arts aims and vocational expectations

Conflicts in teaching standards and partner feedback

Teaching and Leading for Human Flourishing: Creating a Liberal Arts Framework for Teacher Preparation Jillian N. Lederhouse, Ph.D. Wheaton College Abstract To satisfy the ongoing demands of external communities, education faculty at liberal arts colleges often make curricularand instructional compromises within their programs which can adversely affect the developmental goals of liberal education. This article highlights several of the complex tensions faculty members face in offering their candidates a program that equips them for professional practice yet still explores the larger scope of what it means to be fully human. It describes a framework for liberal arts teacher preparation as well as the process by which it was developed and the benefits that have resulted from this process. Keywords: liberal arts, teacher preparation, conceptual framework AILACTE Journal 1 Lederhouse Education faculty members at liberal arts colleges inhabit three complex and dynamic communities. They first reside in the traditional academy, where faculty members teach courses, advise students, design and revise curriculum, engage in research, and serve through committee work and other forms of institutional assistance. In fulfilling these roles, they meet the same expectations as all other members of the academy. Additionally, teacher preparation programs require faculty to engage continuously with the P–12 school community. This realm extends beyond the neighborhood surrounding a college campus to include rural, suburban, urban and many times international locations in order to prepare candidates for the diverse learners they will teach. For this reason education faculty members network to develop partnerships with district administrators. Teacher educators foster relationships with principals and department chairs, who provide placements, and teachers, who mentor candidates during clinical experiences. These P–12 relationships often connect education programs with other community partners as well, such as relief agencies, park districts, churches, boys and girls clubs, and libraries. Finally, teacher preparation involves complex interaction with the policy community of local, state and federal regulatory agencies and frequently national accreditation bodies. These relationships require education faculty members to design their curriculum and structure their protocols to meet professional standards, state school codes, licensure examination formats, and federal compliance regulations. This interface occurs not only with one’s own state agency but also with other state boards of education in order to advocate for graduates who seek certification in those regions. Faculty members also participate in the regulatory community through serving in state and national professional associations in order to improve the field and shape policies affecting accreditation in the future. Tension Between the Three Communities Even if all three of these communities shared identical aims and 2 AILACTE Volume XI Fall 2014 Teaching and Leading for Human Flourishing purposes, completing the numerous tasks required of liberal arts teacher educators could still be considered ambitious work. But while the goals of these distinct communities at times intersect, more often they diverge or even conflict with one another. For example, the traditional purpose of liberal arts education has been to explore what it means to be fully human and to develop critical and creative thinking in the process of this interdisciplinary exploration. Professional and P–12 standards, whether from a state or national accrediting body, do not reflect this scholarly journey but only its results (CCSSO, 2011; CAEP, 2013). Meeting standards requires documented evidence of what teacher candidates and their P–12 students are able to do. This emphasis on performance only increases after entry into the profession. Teachers’ evaluations today in most states are combinations

FAQs

What problem does the article address about teacher preparation at liberal arts colleges?

It addresses how ongoing demands from external communities can push education faculty into curricular and instructional compromises that may conflict with liberal education’s developmental aims.

Which three communities shape the work of liberal arts teacher educators?

The article describes the traditional academy, the P–12 school community, and the policy community involving regulatory agencies and national accreditation bodies.

How does the article characterize tension between liberal arts goals and standards requirements?

It notes that liberal arts education focuses on being fully human and developing critical thinking, while professional and P–12 standards emphasize documented performance and results rather than reflective, developmental processes.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Pentious