The Institutional Discourse of Inclusive Teacher Preparation in the United States

• In Event: Issues in Teacher Knowledge, Testing, and Licensure

Abstract

Preparing teacher candidates for inclusive practice continues to be critical for the next
generation of teachers. In the US, earning licensure in both general and special education,
known as “dual certification,” is the most prominent innovative approach to preparing
candidates to serve learners from diverse intersecting social identity backgrounds with a
wide spectrum of needs. This study provides an analysis of institutional multimedia
discourse on dual certification from websites of the 1,408 traditional teacher education
programs on the 2019 Title II database. A much greater proportion of this discourse
conveys the practical benefit of earning two licenses absent any elaboration, compared to
robust discourse that conveys preparing teachers for inclusive practice as a reform,
transformation, and equity strategy for teaching.

Authors

• Joyce M. Gomez-Najarro, California State University - Fullerton

• Linda P. Blanton, Florida International University

• Marleen Carol Pugach, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee