Research Interests
Ken Zeichner
My research has examined different aspects of teacher education in the U.S.A. and beyond. For many years, I have focused on understanding the historical trajectories of different approaches to improving teacher education and on elaborating the underlying assumptions, program elements, and consequences of different approaches to preparing teachers.
Recently, I have also focused on policies related to teacher education and specifically on the role of venture philanthropy and the misrepresentation of educational research in shaping policies and practcies in teacher education in ways that undermine the democratic process of deliberation and decision making and the largely public system of teacher education.
I have been working recently on ways to more closely connect the field and campus components of teacher education through the creation of different models of hybrid teacher education and on examining the evidence related to the efficacy of different pathways into teaching. My recently completed externally funded work includes a study of policies and practices related to teaching in Alberta Canada that is part of a larger international study, and an examination of the ways in which engaging local community members in the preparation of teachers at UW has impacted the learning of teacher candidates and the community mentors who work with teacher candidates.
At the University of Washington, I have taught graduate courses in the study of teacher education that concern teacher education policy debates, comparative and international perspectives on teaching and teacher education, and community-focused teacher education. I also served as Director of Teacher Education from 2009-2013.
Before joining the faculty at the University of Washington, I spent 33 years on the faculty in the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During this time, I spent 9 years as Associate Dean for Teacher Education and International Education and many more years as the Hoefs-Bascom Professor of Teacher Education in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction. As a part of my work in teacher education, I directed a professional development school partnership involving the School of Education, Madison School District and Madison Teachers' Incorporated for 12 years. I also worked closely supporting the Madison School's Classroom Action Research Network for 25 years.
I have served as Vice President of AERA (Division K), a member of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, co-chair of the AERA Panel on Research in Teacher Education and as a member of National Academy of Education Committees on Teacher Education and Teacher Professional Development. In 2009, I was elected to the National Academy of Education, and in 2013 I was elected as a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association. I have worked on teacher education issues in many parts of the world, most notably in Namibia (1994-2004). I continue to lecture, write and support teacher education reforms in many parts of the world.
- Personal Web page : kenzeichner.com
Zeichner,K & Sandoval, C. (2015). Venture philanthropy and teacher education policies in the U.S. Teachers College Record. 117(5), 1-44.
Zeichner, K.; Payne, K. & Brayko, K. (2015). Democratizing teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education. 66(2), 122-135.
Zeichner, K. & Bier, M. (2015). The turn toward practice and clinical experience in U.S. teacher education. In E. Hollins (Ed). Rethinking field experiences in pre-service teacher education. (pp. 20-46). New York: Routledge.
Zeichner, K. (2014). The struggle for the soul of teaching and teacher education. Journal of Education for Teaching.. 40(5, 551-568.
Zhu, X. & Zeichner, K. (2014) (Eds). Preparing teachers for the 21st century. Berlin: Springer.
Zeichner, K. (2009). Teacher education and the struggle for social justice. New York: Routledge.
Cochran-Smith, M. & Zeichner, K. (2005) (Eds) Studying teacher education. New York: Routledge.
Zeichner, K. & Dahlstrom, L. (1999) (Eds) Democratic teacher education reform in Africa: The case of Namibia. Boulder CO: Westview.
Zeichner, K. & Liston, D. (2013) Reflective teaching. (2nd edition)New York: Routledge
Zeichner, K. (2011). Assessing state and federal policies to evaluate the quality of Teacher preparation programs. In P. Earley, D. Imig, & N. Michelli (Eds). Teacher education policy in the United States: Issues and tensions in an era of evolving expectations. (pp. 75-105). New York: Routledge.
Zeichner, K. (2003). Teacher research as professional development for p-12 educators in the U.S. Educational Action Research, 11(2), 301-325.
Zeichner, K. (2006). Reflections of a university-based teacher educator on the future of college and university-based teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 57(3), 326-340.
Zeichner & Hutchinson, E. (2008). The development of alternative certification policies and programs in the U.S. In P. Grossman & S. Loeb (Eds.) Alternative routes to teaching: Mapping the new landscape of teacher education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
Zeichner, K.; & Flessner, R. (2009). Educating teachers for critical education. In M. Apple, W. Au, & L.Armando Gandin (Eds). International handbook of critical education. New York: Routledge. New York: Erlbaum/Routledge.
Zeichner, K. (2010). Rethinking the connections between campus courses and field experiences in college and university-based teacher education programs. Journal of Teacher Education. , 89(11), 89-99.
Zeichner, K. (2003). The adequacies and inadequacies of three current strategies to recruit, prepare, and retain the best teachers for all students. Teachers College Record, 105(3), 490-515.
Zeichner, K. (2012). The turn once again toward practice-based teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 63(5), 376-382