Teacher Education and Documentation Status Differences: A Qualitative Case Study

• In Event: Learning to Teach Justly: Preservice Practices for Social Change

Abstract

Using qualitative case study data collected from a university-based teacher education program in the mid-Atlantic, this paper explores how 24 pre-service teachers were prepared to navigate documentation status differences in schools. Three emergent themes suggest: (i) teacher education coursework and student teaching experiences conveyed little to no information about immigrants, immigration policy, and documentation status; (ii) pre-service teachers were subject to documentation status-blind ideologies and did not think about the impact of such status on teaching and learning; and, (iii) there were a variety of conflicting decisions amongst pre-service teachers on how to best address potential practice dilemmas that may arise as a consequence of documentation status issues. Issues of theoretical, practical, and policy significance in teacher education are discussed.

Author

• Jennifer M. Bondy, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University