Why Clinical Experience and Mentoring Are Replacing Student Teaching on the Best Campuses - A White Paper

Oct 15, 2026

A white paper argues that traditional student teaching no longer fits effective 21st-century teacher preparation, especially for high-need schools and rapidly changing student demographics. It examines how clinical experiences and mentoring can replace student teaching by improving the duration and quality of placements while integrating theory and practice. The paper traces student teaching’s historical evolution and identifies structural issues in current models, emphasizing the need for immersive, concurrent classroom practice across the school year for stronger outcomes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

The Evolution of Student Teaching

The Problems with Student Teaching Today

Why Clinical Experience and Mentoring Are Replacing Student Teaching on the Best Campuses James W. Fraser and Audra M. Watson November 2014 The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation 5 Vaughn Drive, Suite 300 ▪ Princeton, NJ [www.woodrow.org](www.woodrow.org) ▪ 609-452-7007 [communications@woodrow.org](communications@woodrow.org) Why Clinical Experience and Mentoring Are Replacing Student Teaching on the Best Campuses A White Paper James W. Fraser and Audra M. Watson for the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation November 2014 Suggested Citation Format Fraser, J., and Watson, A.M., 2014. Why Clinical Experience and Mentoring Are Replacing Student Teaching on the Best Campuses. Princeton, NJ: The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. © 2014 The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. Developed with the generous support of the Annenberg Foundation, which bears no responsibility for the content. While the courses vary widely, U.S. teacher preparation programs, even the alternative ones, almost universally require some version of student teaching—a period of a few weeks to several months spent observing and then taking responsibility for leading a classroom under supervision. But traditional student teaching is out of date and insufficient, especially in programs that seek to prepare teachers to serve the nation’s growing numbers of students in high‐need school settings. A number of education schools and alternative providers have begun to replace student teaching with full year internships. Through our work with the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowships, we have charged our partner campuses with overhauling clinical fieldwork, and we’ve seen a range of approaches. We are not alone. Many programs are in the midst of the most fundamental rethinking of clinical fieldwork for teachers in decades. Especially in teacher education programs that prepare teachers for high‐need schools, the sense of urgency to do better is palpable. Many who teach in these programs know that change is sorely needed, particularly in light of rapidly changing student demographics. The pressure from outside—from governments and foundations—is also very real. Moreover, both the Blue Ribbon Panel on Clinical Preparation and Partnerships for Improved Student Learning (2010) and the standards newly adopted by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) also call for improving the duration and the quality of the clinical placement. We need a new vision of clinical practice that helps teacher candidates prepare for an increasingly diverse student population and that leads to better outcomes for all students. Improving is not merely a matter of doing more. It involves rethinking every aspect of our work, particularly the most cherished. The Evolution of Student Teaching In 1825, James G. Carter proposed that Massachusetts create a new institution to prepare teachers, a proposal that would lead to the creation of the first state schools specifically dedicated to teacher preparation in the 1830s. Describing the curriculum he sought, Carter wrote,“After the young candidate for an instructor…has acquired sufficient knowledge for directing those exercises and teaching those branches which he wishes to profess, he must then begin his labors under the scrutinizing eyes of one who will note his mistakes of government and faults of instruction and correct them.” By the 1830s Carter’s vision for teacher preparation had spread from Massachusetts to many other states. The normal schools, seminaries, teachers colleges, and university‐based teacher preparation programs that followed invariably included the same basic pattern: foundation courses in content knowledge and educational theory and methods, and then, as the capstone, student teaching with a real class under the watchful eye of supervisors and experienced teachers. Student teaching has been at the heart of teacher preparation for alm

FAQs

Why does the paper say traditional student teaching is outdated?

It argues that the model blocks effective 21st-century clinical practice by separating theory from practice and delaying immersion until the candidate is “ready.” This reduces opportunities to integrate what is studied with what is experienced in classrooms.

What alternative does the paper propose for teacher preparation?

It promotes replacing student teaching with full-year internships or longer clinical fieldwork paired with mentoring. The goal is to improve both the duration and the quality of clinical placements.

How does the paper connect clinical practice to student outcomes?

It states that improving clinical experience helps teacher candidates prepare for diverse student populations and supports better outcomes for all students. It also notes external standards and guidance calling for stronger clinical preparation.

Oct 15, 2026

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