Abstract

During the second half of the twentieth century, teacher education was seen primarily as the responsibility of the nation state because it was an integral part of preparing national citizens. The role of teacher education was to prepare preservice teachers to pass on to the next generation national culture and traditions, as well as the skills and knowledge necessary for fulfilling different roles in the national society. However, with the increased influences of economic and cultural globalization, the notion of the nation state and its functions has been reframed. If the nation state is rescaled due to the increased influence of transnational organizations and its functions are curbed to ensure the existence of free and unfettered markets, what role can and should it play in shaping education and teacher education? If globalization has contributed to the creation of a “borderless” world, then what kind of preparation should teachers receive? What cultures and what traditions should be passed on in the world dominated by discourses of competitiveness and global markets? Finally, with the increasing role of international comparisons and the growing rate of transferred educational reforms and models, what cultures and what traditions end up being taught in the teacher education programs? This paper examines how globalization has affected teacher education around the world. First, it analyzes research on the impact of the Bologna process on teacher education programs in several European countries. Second, it examines the neoliberal discourses on teacher education reforms in the US and in Russia. Third, it traces exports of teacher education programs from high achieving nations to several regions around the world in the last twenty years. Overall, this paper problematizes the de-professionalization, commodification, and de-culturalization of teacher education under the influence of global neoliberalism.