Education for Diverse Democracy Requires Democracy for Diverse Educators: Critical Insights From National Teaching Fellows

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

As calls to increase teacher diversity grows, efforts must also consider the changing context of schools in high-poverty communities and its impact on teacher efficacy. This symposium brings together teacher educators, directors of mentoring/ induction, researchers in policy, and teachers engaged in public discourse on race, policy and practice. Papers present findings from a mixedmethods study that explores teacher diversity, quality, and efficacy, between two groups of teaching
fellows: one group that is predominantly teachers of Color and another comprised of predominantly White teachers. A final paper offers insight from a teacher-advocate who enacts rigorous, democratic, race-conscious practices inside the classroom while engaging public discourse. Papers argue the need for research that addresses high-quality teacher preparation, cultural diversity, and
contexts of teaching.

Sub Unit

• Division K - Teaching and Teacher Education / Division K - Section 7: Teacher Recruitment, Induction, Mentoring, and Retention For and From Diverse Communities and Contexts

Chair

• David Johns, U.S. Department of Education

Papers

• The Urgency for Research on Recruiting, Selecting, and Retaining Teachers of Color - Audra M. Watson, Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation

• Measuring the Effectiveness of a National Fellowship for Teachers of Color - Tolani Britton, Harvard University

• Teachers of Color, School Context, and Islands of Practice - Terrenda Corisa White, University of Colorado-Boulder; Wagma Mommandi, University of Colorado - Boulder; Julia A Daniel, University of Colorado - Boulder

• The Need to Infuse Cultural Competency With High-Quality Induction for the "Rhodes Scholars of Teaching" - Travis Bristol, Stanford University

• A Teacher's First-Person Account of Grassroots Activism for Educational Justice - Jose Vilson, New York City Schools

Discussant

• David Johns, U.S. Department of Education