A major problem in teacher education is the maintenance of beginning teachers' idealism in the face of practicing professionals' pragmatism. Teacher education programs train students in theories, concepts, and practices only to assign them to public schools, where the antithesis of everything the program attempted to teach is an accepted, operating norm. University programs and public school practices are in conflict regarding almost every concept of child development, learning theory, the nature of knowledge, the nature of teaching, and the use of senses in human development. The effect of professional laboratory experiences as a socialization process in teacher education needs to be studied. Much sociological, psychological, and organizational science research is relevant to understanding the student teaching experience. Several options exist to correct the situation. Students should be provided with sufficient experience and information for making career choices. A prolonged experience in several school situations would better enable the beginning teacher to determine organizational climate. Potential teachers should study organizational structures, group norms, communication patterns, information systems, decision making processes, and the uses of power. The great challenge for teacher education programs is to develop laboratory experiences which make the student more realistic about classroom teachers' group norms and the school bureaucracy without damaging the high expectations and ideals beginners may have. (CJ)