Lessons in Contradictions: Reinforcing Equity and Justice-oriented Teacher Dispositions in the Trump Era

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 9:45 am - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: The Education of Justice-Oriented Teacher Educators

Abstract

This self-study examines how Trump-era executive orders targeting DEI, 2SLGBTQIA+, and immigrant communities threaten equity in teacher education programs (TEPs). Grounded in Critical Race Theory, Critical Whiteness Studies, and Queer Theory, the research analyzes executive orders, professional teaching disposition (PTD) standards, and relevant scholarship. Using grounded theory and self-study methods, findings reveal a growing disconnect between harmful policy rhetoric and ethical, justice-oriented educational practices. In response, faculty revised an introductory education course to emphasize reflexivity, identity, and asset-based pedagogies. The study affirms the professional responsibility of TEPs to cultivate critically conscious educators prepared to resist exclusionary ideologies. Educators must remain, as Maxine Greene asserts, “wide-awake,” actively promoting democracy, justice, and inclusive learning in increasingly hostile sociopolitical contexts.

Authors

• Terry Stockton, Grand Valley State University

• Sarah Chase, Grand Valley State University