Recruiting Teachers of Color for 21st-Century Schools: Exploring Motivations of Culture, Community, and Leadership

• In Event: Multicultural/Multiethnic Education: Preservice Teachers and Teachers of Color

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore what inspires preservice teachers of color to pursue careers in education, placing them as leaders in their home communities, among their peers, and within their teacher education programs. Additionally, researchers hope to ascertain the viewpoints these leaders hold on cultural diversity as well as their experiences in their teacher education program. Given the shortage of research studies on teachers of color, this study should illuminate the relationship between ethnic and cultural identities of these teacher candidates and their visions for teaching, which may inform how universities and teacher educators recruit and retain minority teacher candidates (Villegas & Davis, 2008).

Authors

• Nazneen Ali, University of Missouri

• Antonio J. Castro, University of Missouri - Columbia