A Critical Multicultural Critique of Teacher Education National Accreditation Standards

• In Event: 49.088 - Roundtable Session 17
  In Roundtable Session: 49.088-7 - Issues of Diversity in the Context of National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education/Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation Accreditation

Abstract

National teacher education standards help set expectations for teachers and teacher educators in learning about and mediating issues related to diversity. From a critical multicultural standpoint, this paper examines how normative diversity discourse affects teacher education. The paper critiques national teacher education standards in relation to diversity and multicultural requirements. A content analysis was conduced on documents from the National Association for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the new Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), and the influential Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC). Although increased attention to diversity was found with CAEP, unacknowledged in national teacher education expectations is how white supremacy, patriarchy, and class disparities directly impact students and families from diverse populations.

Author

• Michael Vavrus, Evergreen State College