Examining the Meaning of "Social Justice" in an Urban Teacher Residency Program

• In Event: 63.046 - Shifting Teacher Education for Social Justice

Abstract

This study examined how the concept of “social justice” was operationalized in the university coursework of students enrolled in a year-long residency program designed to diversify the teaching corps and to prepare STEM teachers for secondary urban classroom environments. We examined how skills-based content objectives and social justice capacities were incorporated using an analytic framework that combined Hackman’s (2005) five components of social justice education and 19 “High Leverage Practices” promoted by TeachingWorks. Through an analysis of 37 syllabi and interviews with 9 faculty members in the Gran Pueblo Urban Teacher Residency, we identified areas of strength, weakness, and opportunity for the program. We conclude with suggestions for practice to directly engage STEM educator development with social justice concepts.

Authors

• Allison Mattheis, California State University - Los Angeles

• Lucrecia Marie Nava, California

• Maria Beltran, California State University - Los Angeles

• Erick West, California State University - Los Angeles