he Teacher Education specialization focuses on the study and improvement of teaching (across subject areas in elementary and secondary schools) and teacher education (throughout the career span). Students in this program are often interested in the relationship between the subject being taught and the particular pedagogical knowledge and skills needed to teach that subject effectively, and in effective ways of facilitating teacher learning of this body of knowledge and skills. They are concerned with the educational consequences of different approaches to teaching and the policies that shape teaching and teacher education. Many students build careers within institutions of higher education where teachers are prepared and where the practice of teaching can be studied and improved. The purpose of this specialization is to help students develop a framework for understanding teaching, research on teaching, and the implications of research for the improvement of teaching, teacher education, and policy. The program aims to prepare teacher educators and educators to understand and address the needs of students in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms.