Teacher Education and the Ideology of Social Control1

This paper examines the relationship between teacher education and the ideology of social control. It does this by looking at the dialectical tension that exists between teacher-education programs and the dominant society through a set of concepts that link as well as demonstrate the interplay of power, ideology, biography, and history. It further illuminates this interplay by analyzing the rationality that presently dominates these programs. Finally, the paper not only examines the implications of this rationality for teacher-education programs, it also points to ways in which it can be overcome.