Expanding the Diversity-Constricted Teaching Pipeline

• In Event: 68.060 - Roundtable Session 29
  In Roundtable Session: 68.060-22 - The Challenges and Promises of Clinical Practice Programs: Insights From the Field

Abstract

This study of attrition aimed to understand what prompted preservice teachers (PSTs) who were underrepresented members of non-dominant racial/ethnic groups to withdraw from a clinically-rich, teacher preparation program. This undergraduate, residency program integrated coursework with extensive practice in clinical settings in order to prepare PSTs to meet the needs of students in urban, Title I schools. From interviews with three PSTs who withdrew from the program, we report on two themes that influenced their attrition: relational factors and contradictions between school culture and commitment to teach. Analysis of class, race, and gender helped to interpret their experiences and relate them to broader concerns associated with the constricted diversity of the teacher force and recent movements toward clinically-rich teacher preparation.

Authors

• Sarah Ann van Ingen, University of South Florida

• Danielle V. Dennis, University of South Florida

• Vonzell Agosto, University of South Florida