The transition from teacher education to work in schools has been described as an "epistemic clash". Teacher educators', novice teachers' and experienced teachers' valuation of the academic, practical and normative demands of teaching are compared using survey data from teacher education and schools. All groups value academic knowledge and practical skills highly. Teacher educators take a more positive attitude toward inclusion, and differ in their views of the normative demands of teaching. The role of teacher education as a corrective to the contemporary demands made of schools through political and international policy initiatives is emphasized. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)