Naming Our Priorities: Centering Justice and Anti-Racism in Teacher Education Curriculum

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Friday 11:45am
  In Poster Session: Naming Our Priorities: Centering Justice and Anti-Racism in Teacher Education Curriculum

Abstract

Drawing on two decades of program reflection and justice-centered reform in a research-intensive university’s elementary teacher education sequence, we present a qualitative case study of one teacher candidate (TC) across two foundational courses. Anchored within a framework that explicitly confronts racism and white supremacy—articulated through collaboratively developed “TE Justice Priorities”—we tracked how this TC engaged with (1) the distortion and erasure of marginalized voices in curriculum and (2) the normalization of punitive discipline toward Black and Brown students. Findings demonstrate transformational growth, as the TC moved from uncritical acceptance of dominant narratives to critical advocacy for cultural authenticity, family partnership, and inclusive storytelling in the classroom.

Authors

• Vanessa Nizeyimana Louis, University of Michigan

• Debi Khasnabis, University of Michigan

• Meri Tenney Muirhead, University of Michigan

• Maren Elyse Oberman, University of Michigan