According to K.C. Johnson, ?The advocates of the status quo have changed tactics.? The new strategy is to hide behind educational and procedural jargon.

One example of this is Dispositions Theory in schools of education. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) required all schools of education to assess dispositions of students. Schools of education used the NCATE mandate to assess the beliefs of future teachers. Reinforced by social justice requirements, schools of education targeted students and professors who objected to tenets of the progressive or liberal status quo. Even though NCATE has withdrawn the requirement, Johnson says that colleges and universities are still quietly assessing dispositions among students and teachers.

Having attended two graduate schools of education, I confirm that Johnson?s observation is correct but it requires qualification. Schools of education are a multi-headed beast. The largest and most powerful division in any school of education is the curriculum and instruction department, which is responsible for teacher education. Teacher education programs are notorious for attempting to impose progressive or liberal beliefs on students. Departments of social foundations (history, sociology, philosophy, and anthropology of education) and education policy are generally places that encourage a free exchange of ideas. Unfortunately, foundations and policy programs are small and schools of education marginalize faculty members in these programs.