The Power of Resistance: Intersecting Policy and Practice Toward Transformational Practice

• In Event: Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: Educational Policy and the Everyday Lives of Teachers

Abstract

This study highlights various forms of rationalizations that pre-service teacher candidates use to diminish social injustices. There are significant concerns regarding the persistence of achievement gaps between white and non-white peer groups, differences between teachers from dominant identity groups and students from minority identity groups, and budgetary challenges facing school districts that lead to larger class sizes and diminished supports for new teachers. This session looks to explore how pre-service teacher resistance to social justice impacts the landscape of teacher preparation and speaks to how their beliefs shape practice. We explore how resisting such resistance has important policy and practice implications. Further the session delineates strategies implemented to move students beyond rationalizations in how they speak about the profession.

Authors

• Kenneth James Fasching-Varner, Louisiana State University

• Roland W. Mitchell, Louisiana State University

• Danielle Jan Klein, Louisiana State University

• Desiree R. Cho, Louisiana State University