Trapdoors, Chutes, and Ladders: A Critical Race Feminista Analysis of Contemporary Inequities in the Nevada Teacher Preparation Pipeline

• In Event: UndocuTeacher Pathways + Practices: Perspectives From California and Nevada

Abstract

In this paper we map out the trapdoors, chutes, and ladders in the teacher education pipeline for aspiring UndocuTeachers. Similar to a game of chutes and ladders, in teacher preparation programs the chutes are the typically obvious barriers most students are aware of, such as credential exams, classes, financial aid, etc. The trapdoors consist of the unspoken, designed barriers and policies, often obfuscated from plain sight and established behind closed-doors through exclusive conversations by those in power, such as restrictive immigration policies that push out aspiring UndocuTeachers. The last of these is what we call the ladders, the often subversive or unwritten pathways, consejos, care, and insights shared by and within historically minoritized communities to navigate higher education and preparation programs.

With the backdrop of historic teacher shortages nationwide, the recission of DACA, the COVID-19 pandemic, reduced enrollment in teacher-preparation programs, and a growing disparity in the retention of pre-service Teachers of Color, this paper seeks to critically examine this context and the many factors that exacerbate leaks in the teacher preparation pipeline for UndocuTeachers (Christiansen, 2020; Partelow, 2019). Although efforts have been made to diversify the teacher workforce, many states are finding that while they recruit diverse teacher candidates, they still do not retain them, and ultimately do not graduate them (Putnam & Walsh, 2019). This rings particularly true for UndocuTeachers who face even larger obstacles as they navigate higher education, licensing, and income generation opportunities. Despite these barriers, UndocuTeachers persist within their teacher-education programs, yet they continue to have limited pathways into the public-school classroom.

As scholar-activist-practitioners we use a critical race feminista framework (Delgado Bernal, et. al, 2019) that weaves critical race theory and a Chicana Latina feminist epistemological framework to create space in academia for the nepantleras, the in-between people who steward their communities to and through the ivory tower as bridge-builders. We seek to demystify the leaks that persist in contemporary teacher preparation programs and offer policy recommendations for patching them. Through this framework, two Nevada-based scholar-activist-practitioners provide their reflections as they share the UndocuTeacher Student Guide they co-developed to codify useful ladders that can address the immediate needs of UndocuTeachers to support their persistence. Additionally, we will discuss the state-wide advocacy efforts to address licensing barriers. We argue that to improve the retention and graduation of diverse teachers, teacher preparation programs must implement transparent policies, support equity-centered state and national policy changes, develop innovative career pathways, and hire diverse faculty and staff to support students.

Authors

• Marcela Rodriguez-Campo, Nevada State University

• Mariana P. Sarmiento Hernandez, Nevada State College