Preparing the Teachers We Need for the “Students We Share” Between the United States and Mexico

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

The number of children and youth with experiences based in the U.S. and in Mexico continue to increase. Though diverse in their family circumstances, identities, language proficiencies, and community contexts, the “students we share” between countries by and large attend under-resourced schools with underprepared teachers. The knowledgebase to prepare teachers well for these students is limited, and research collaborations and information sharing between Mexico and the U.S. are rare. This panel brings together Mexican and U.S. scholars from various disciplines to articulate ways of improving teacher preparation for the students we share. We describe student experiences and needs, identify teacher competencies, examine institutional dynamics, and make a series of recommendations for research, practice, and policy in both countries.

Sub Unit

• Division L - Educational Policies and Politics / Division L - Section 7: Social Policy and Social Context

Chair

• Edmund T. Hamann, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Papers

• Binational Students and Their Teachers in Central Mexico - Sarah Gallo, The Ohio State University

• Teacher Preparation and Policy Implications for Emergent Bilingual Students in the United States - Francesca Lopez, The University of Arizona; Lucrecia Santibanez, Claremont Graduate University

• Perspectives of Normalistas on Preparing Mexican Teachers for U.S.-Born Returnee Students - Eric Ruiz Bybee, Brigham Young University; Bryant Jensen, Brigham Young University

• Perspectives of Mexican Teachers on Their Own Preparation to Meet the Needs of Returnee Students - Monica Jacobo-Suarez, Centro de Investigación y Docencia Economicas A.C.

Discussant

• Patricia C. Gándara, University of California - Los Angeles