Teacher evaluation in the U.S. is in flux as states increase and intensify their attention to it to qualify for Race to the Top Funds, and as accountability for teacher quality becomes more focused. This book describes a successful approach to preservice teacher education that is designed to help prospective teachers develop the habits of mind for teaching for deeper understanding even as their lived experiences as novice teachers conspire to encourage them to study for the test of the next day's evaluation rubric.

Colleen P. Gilrane is a faculty member in the Theory and Practice in Teacher Education Department at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She works with preservice and inservice teachers as well as advanced graduate students in literacy and in elementary education, and serves as Chair of the Institutional Review Board. Her teaching and research interests focus on working with teachers to create communities in which all learners have access to literacy that is rich, powerful, and joyful.