Virtual Equity Coaching for Graduates of Justice-Oriented Teacher Preparation Programs

• In Event: Equity-Focused Coaching Supports in Virtual Environments

Abstract

Scholars have documented a need for research that examines how graduates of justice-oriented TPPs think about justice work once they enter the classroom (Cochran-Smith et.al, 2015) and whether justice-oriented teacher education has any influence on teaching practice at all (Zeichner & Conklin, 2005). The limited research that exists suggests that while many graduates from teacher education programs value their learning about diversity and justice, they are often unable to effectively implement justice-oriented teaching without additional support (Juarez et. al, 2008; Picower, 2011; Whipp, 2013), which is not always present in schools.

This paper describes an attempt by one teacher educator to provide critical coaching (Aguilar, 2020) around justice-oriented practices to recent graduates of a justice-oriented TPP completing their first year teaching in the southeastern United States. Each month, six participants met with the teacher educator via Zoom to discuss how they could confront injustices they saw in their school settings and make their curriculum and teaching more just.

Each participant had different needs entering the coaching space. For instance, one social studies teacher needed support in planning conversations with her administrators and coworkers arguing the necessity of teaching and talking about the 2020 presidential election during her class. Another teacher worked in a school with a high population of refugees and needed help recognizing and addressing the barriers that existed with engaging with her students’ caregivers. In addition to the regularly scheduled meetings, the group met following major events, such as the January 2021 insurrection at the capitol, to plan how they would talk to their students the next day. Pursuing justice in teaching is nuanced and multi-faceted, and providing a dedicated space for coaching around justice-oriented practices allowed the teachers to give attention to multiple aspects of their work.

The teachers participating in the monthly discussions saw the meetings as valuable in several ways. First, several articulated gratitude for a “like-minded, supportive community,” which most stated they did not have amongst their coworkers. Additionally, one participant commented that her school setting was vastly different from the schools in which she completed her practicum work during her TPP. “in my classes at [the university] I got an overview about why I should push for justice in my school, but by working with the group this year I could tailor my work to the specific students in my classroom.” Just as teachers continue to be coached in their pedagogy, this study demonstrated the power of continued coaching specifically aimed at strengthening teachers’ justice orientations and practices.

The online-nature of the coaching work was beneficial. Because the participants were teaching in contexts across the state they were able to bring diverse perspectives. Additionally, the virtual context allowed the teacher educator to support graduates hours away from the University campus. There is a need to engage in additional iterations of this coaching-for-justice process. However, the findings of this study demonstrate that virtual coaching for graduates of justice-oriented TPPs during their early years teaching could meaningfully impact their confidence and abilities to implement justice-oriented teaching.

Author

• Rachel Ranschaert, University of North Texas