Program Design. The Experiences and Preparation of Teacher Candidates of Color: A Literature Review

• In Event: AERA Handbook Session 1

Abstract

"While the racial diversification of teacher education programs is an important aspect of achieving educational equity, of equal importance are the experiences of teacher
candidates of color and the preparation they receive for teaching once they enroll in
preservice programs. This chapter reviews literature published from 2000 to 2017 with
the purpose of providing an interpretive synthesis of what is known from research about the experiences and preparation of teacher candidates of color in teacher education programs. We sought to understand who engaged in this research, how researchers constructed the problem they investigated, what research questions were posed and what these studies found, what were trends in the findings, and the assumptions researchers challenge. We found that the field generally explored three lines of research: (1) how teacher candidates of color perceived their experiences in programs; (2) how they
negotiated their teacher identities; and (3) what strategies teacher educators used in
teacher education to prepare teacher candidates of color to teach responsibly. Our
analysis highlights trends in the reviewed studies’ findings, for example, that candidates of color would benefit from explicit and purposeful lessons about racial oppression. Notably, our review suggests that individual teacher educators are taking up the challenge of providing a culturally responsive education to candidates of color, while at the programmatic level, programs are not attending to the needs and strengths of these candidates. We underscore strategies from the reviewed studies for improving the teacher preparation of candidates of color, and we suggest future programs of research."

Authors

• Laura Carolina Chavez-Moreno, University of California - Los Angeles

• Ana Maria Villegas, Montclair State University

• Marilyn Cochran-Smith, Boston College