Organizational Functions of Teacher Preparation Programs at Minority-Serving Institutions

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Thursday 7:45am
  In Poster Session: Global Metrics, Local Resistance: Education Policy, Technology, and the Politics of Learning

Abstract

Teacher preparation programs (TPPs) are central to efforts to diversify the educator workforce and improve outcomes for students-of-color. Enrollment-based Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), including Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), are federally recognized for enrolling minoritized students, yet little is known about how MSI designations are enacted within TPPs. Drawing on institutional theory and critical policy analysis, this multiple case study examines how four MSI TPPs interpret and implement equity goals. Data from 40 interviews and 22 documents show strong normative and cultural-cognitive commitments to equity but limited understanding of their MSI designation. Findings underscore the need for intentional organizational identity work and for policies that move MSI designation beyond symbolic recognition toward structural transformation.

Author

• Lillie Ko-Wong, University of California - San Diego