Urban Learning Teacher Candidates: Are They Huberman’s “Star Teachers?” And Does It Matter?

• In Event: Teacher Agency for Professional and Personal Growth

Abstract

Reflecting on Haberman’s 15 predictive criteria for successful urban teachers, this study employs a mixed method research design to investigate if the students in the Urban Learning program(ULRN), a blended Urban Studies bachelor’s degree and an elementary teaching preliminary credential program, meet his criteria. Observations, interviews, and survey demographic and background student data are collected, analyzed, and triangulated to produce portraits of these ULRN students, as well as descriptive statistics that reflect the six ULRN cohorts in this study. Findings show that all ULRN students match Haberman’s predictive success criteria for urban teachers. However, the study reveals a flaw in Haberman’s application of these predictive criteria to the real lives of some teacher candidates and/or urban teachers.

Author

• Ann L. Wood, California State University - Los Angeles