This report deals with parts 2 and 3 of the work commissioned by the Ministry of Education and Research to assess the need to regulate overall responsibilities, roles and tasks in partnerships between teacher education programmes and kindergartens/schools and their owners. This report is also a supplement to the Council’s first report which addressed part 1 of the work, Partnerships in teacher education – a knowledge base (Advisory Council for Teacher Education in Norway, 2019). The report reviewed existing partnership agreements in the sector and was based on the Council’s dialogue with managers and owners of kindergartens and schools in a series of meetings held in the spring of 2020.
This work to extend the knowledge base reinforces the impression formed by the Council in report 1 on the variation and diversity of partnerships. This applies to the organisation and the thematic focus of the cooperation in the partnerships. The knowledge base has also shown that practice training and studies are often an integral part of the partnerships. The Council has therefore continued its broad approach to the concept of teacher education kindergartens and schools in this report. Our understanding is based on a recognition that efforts aimed at teacher education kindergartens and schools are in a phase of intense development. The Council believes that ongoing development work at a local level will not be served by overly strict definitions of certain types of partnership.
Despite some institutions’ extensive experience, partnerships between teacher education programmes, kindergartens and schools in the form of teacher education kindergartens and schools are still relatively new. The Council believes that, although there is some knowledge about the field, more knowledge is needed on how such partnerships work and can best be organised. It also believes that the partnerships must be organised and managed in a way that fosters innovation and ensures an equitable and high-quality provision for all children, young people and students in kindergartens, schools and teacher education respectively. The Council has also laid down some principles for partnerships that should apply regardless of the question of regulation:
- The student’s right to a high-quality education must be protected.
- The goal of professional development and quality of education must be applied universally.
- The partnerships must be founded on an equitable relationship between the parties involved.
- The partnerships must have common goals, clear expectations and good communication.
- There must be scope to act at a local level.
- The funding must be predictable.
There are pros and cons to regulating the work on partnerships. The arguments in favour of regulation relate to the desire to ensure fairness and equality in kindergartens, schools and the teacher education provision. The Council is of the view that the enactment of regulations can help ensure a certain level of equality and reduce unintended disparities between teacher education programmes. Predictability and continuity would also be positive outcomes of regulation. It could also facilitate recognition of the field of practice as a source of knowledge and competence that is essential in teacher education.
Arguments against can be linked to how regulation could impact on the autonomy of the sectors and the level of trust they enjoy. The knowledge base and stakeholder dialogues show that trust and local freedom to act are important for developing robust ‘third room’ collaborative practices. The Council is concerned that this must be addressed in the event of the enactment of regulations.
The Council acknowledges that Teacher Education 2025 sets out an ambitious goal for work on teacher education kindergartens and schools, and believes a complex approach is needed to which tools should be used. In addition to assessing the need for regulations, the Council has therefore considered other means of supporting the work in the partnerships, namely financial instruments and support resources.
The knowledge base shows that teacher education programmes that have received funding from the Ministry of Education and Research to develop partnerships are more likely to have established a cooperation with teacher education schools than programmes without such support. The knowledge base also shows that extensive funding is not necessarily needed to stimulate development, but that predictability is crucial. In the Council’s view, long-term funding initiatives can provide partnerships with the necessary predictability and opportunities for stable resource planning. These initiatives can address challenges related to capacity building and sustainability over time. The Council also recognises that short-term funding initiatives can support more innovative processes and efforts that can lead to advancements and further development.
The Council is eager to see the majority of partnership development instruments recognise the importance of scope to act at a local level. The Council therefore wants to ensure that partnerships are given experience-based and research-based support and guidance that inspire and motivate cooperation. The Council believes that collaborative practice can be supported through national, regional and local arenas for dialogue and the sharing of knowledge and experiences, resource websites and template agreements. Combined with financial instruments and a clear expectation of cooperation in partnerships, the Council believes that this can support the development of robust ‘third room’ collaborative practices.