multicultural teacher education - eric · the literature on multicultural teacher education asserts...

Lori Czop Assaf, Rubén Garza, & Jennifer Battle

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Teacher Education Quarterly, Spring 2010

Multicultural Teacher Education:Examining the Perceptions,

Practices, and Coherencein One Teacher Preparation Program

By Lori Czop Assaf, Rubén Garza, & Jennifer Battle

Withthenation’sshiftingethnicandculturaltexture,multiculturaleducationhasbecomeimperativeinthe21stcentury.Asanoutcomeoftheshiftingdiversityinourcountry,morethan6.3millionstudentswithEnglishastheirsecondlanguageandasmanyas13millionstudentslivinginpovertyareenrolledinpre-Kthrough12thgradepublicschools(Children’sDefenseFund,2005).IncontrasttostudentdiversityintheU.S.,mostofthecurrentteachingforce,thosecomingintoteaching,andthosewhoteachprospectiveteachersareWhitefemaleswhohavebeenraisedinmiddleclasshomesinruralandsuburbancommunities(http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2007/minori-

Lori Czop Assaf is an associate professor, Rubén Garza is an assistant professor, and Jennifer Battle is a professor, all with the College of Education at Texas State University-San Marcos, San Marcos, Texas.

tytrends/ind_1_1.asp).Withsuchdramaticchangesinournation’sculturallandscape,itisnotsurprisingthatonemajorgoalofmanyteachereducationprogramsistobetterprepareamostlyWhite,femalemonolingualteachingforcetoworkeffectivelywithstudentsfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgrounds.Yet,eventhoughmostteachereducationprogramsreportthattheyhavethoroughlyincorporateddiversityperspectivesandmulticulturalcontentintothecurriculum,externalexaminationsoftenprovethecontrary(Bartolomé,2004;Darling-Hammond,Hammerness,Grossman,Rust,&Shulman,2005).

Multicultural Teacher Education

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Manyteacherpreparationprogramsattempttoinfusemulticulturalperspectivesbysimplyaddingoneortwocoursesinmulticulturaleducationand/orrequiringteachercandidatestocompleteassignmentsthatexploresurfaceleveldifferencesincultureandlanguagesuchassamplingdifferent“cultural”foodsorlearningtosayhelloinseverallanguages.Suchpracticescanbesuperficialandpartialratherthaninfusedintoacoherentmulticulturalcurriculum(Irvine,2003;Ladson-Bill-ings,1999;Villegas&Lucas,2002;Zeichner&Hoeft,1996)andcanreinforcetheideathatonlyafewindividualsareresponsibleforpreparingteachercandidatesforadiversesociety.Evenwhenmulticulturalcoursesarethoroughlyinfusedintothecurriculum,manyteachereducatorsinthesameteacherpreparationprogramtendtohaveverydifferentideasaboutmulticulturalperspectivesonteachingandteachereducationandhowimportanttheyare. AccordingtoDarling-Hammond,Hammerness,Grossman,Rust,andShul-man(2005)onewaytomakelong-lastingchangesinthewayteachercandidatesarepreparedtoworkwithdiversestudentsistocreatecoherentprogramswhereteachereducatorsbuildasharedvisionofgoodteaching,usecommonstandardsofpracticethatguideandassesscourseworkandclinicalwork,anddemonstrateshared knowledge and common beliefs about teaching and learning. ForTatto(1996),havingacoherentprogramdoesnotnecessarilysuggestthatallfacultythinkalike,insteadthecoherenceofaprogramshouldconsiderhowfacultymemberscanreachcommon ground aroundprofessionalnormsandexpectations,aswellasinthewaythatlearningexperiencesareorganizedandconceptualized. Inotherwords,creatingacoherentmulticulturalteachereducationprogramre-quiresfacultymemberstostriveforandidentifyacentralfocusforteacherlearning,tobecollectivelyresponsible,andtohavetheopportunitytoinfluencepoliciesandpractices.Suchprogramcoherenceissustainedbyacollectivepurposeandpromotesfocusedandsustainedprogramdevelopment(King&Newmann,2000).Althoughtheliteratureonmulticulturalteachereducationassertsthatcoherencemaybeoneofthemostcriticalaspectsofteacherpreparationprograms(Nieto,2000;Villegas&Lucas,2002),thereisverylittleresearchonthistopic.AndlikeGayandHoward(2000),webelievethat teachereducationprogramsandthefacultywhoteachintheseprograms“mustbeheldaccountableforimplementingqualitymulticulturaleducationastheyexpecttheirstudentsinK-12classrooms”(p.15). Thepurposeofthisstudywastoexamineteachereducators’perspectivesaboutmulticulturaleducationinanelementaryandmiddleschoolteacherpreparationprogram.Specifically,ourinvestigationexploredhowteachereducators’beliefs,perceptions,andpracticescontributedto thecoherenceor lackthereof, inoneteachereducationprogram.Thisinvestigationisaresponsetothecallformoreresearch on the coherence of teacher education programs (Darling-Hammond,Hammerness,Grossman,Rust,&Shulman,2005).


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Multicultural Teacher Education Conceptual Framework Cochran-Smith(2003)designedaconceptualframeworkthatidentifiesthevariedmeaningsofmulticulturalteachereducation.Sheorganizesthisframeworkaroundsevenkeyquestionsthatrelatetoissuesofdiversity,ideology,knowledge,teacherlearning,teacherpractice,outcomes,andteachercandidateselection.Followingtheexplorationofthesesevenquestions,Cochran-Smith(2003)recommendsthattheanswersfromthepreviousquestionsbeexaminedundertheeighthquestion:Howarethefirstsevenquestionsconnectedtoandcoherentwithoneanotherinparticularpoliciesorprograms(The Coherent Question)?(Seefigureoneforlistoftheothersevenquestions).Cochran-Smith’s(2003)conceptualframeworkcanbeusedtoexplorehowteachereducatorsfeelaboutthevariedaspectsofmulticulturalteachereducationanduncoverhowmultipleperspectivesandpracticesfashionthecoherenceofateachereducationprogram.

Literature Review In thenextsection,wereviewseveral researchstudies thathaveexaminedteachercandidates’andteachereducators’beliefsandattitudesconcerningmulti-

Figure One

MultipleMeaningsofMulticulturalTeacherEducationTheoryandPractice:SevenKeyQuestions(Cochran-Smith,2003)

1.HowshouldtheincreasinglydiversestudentpopulationinAmericanschoolsbeunderstoodasachallengeora“problem”forteachingandteachereducation,andwhatarethedesirable“solutions”tothisproblem(TheDiversityQuestion)?

2.Whatisthepurposeofschooling,whatistheroleofpubliceducationinademocraticsociety,andwhathistoricallyhasbeentheroleofschoolinginmaintainingorchangingtheeconomicandsocialstructureofsociety(TheIdeologyorSocialJusticeQuestion)?

3.Whatknowledge,interpretiveframeworks,beliefs,andattitudesarenecessarytoteachdiversepopulationseffectively,particularlyknowledgeandbeliefsaboutculture,languagediversityandit’sroleinschooling(TheKnowledgeQuestion)?

4.Howdoteacherslearntoteachdiversepopulations,andwhat,inparticular,arethepedago-giesofteacherpreparation(e.g.courseworkassignments,readings,fieldexperiences)thatmakethislearningpossible(TheHowTeachersLearnQuestion)?

5.Whatarethecompetenciesandpedagogicalskillsteachersneedtoteachdiversepopula-tionseffectively(ThePracticeQuestion)?

6.Whatshouldtheconsequencesoroutcomesofteacherpreparationbe,andhow,bywhomandforwhatpurposesshouldtheseoutcomesbeassessed(TheOutcomesQuestion)?

7.What candidates should be recruited and selected forAmerica’s teaching force (TheRecruitment/SelectionQuestion)?


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culturaleducation.Thesestudiesillustratetheimportanceofspecificinstructionalpracticesandfield-basedexperiencesinmulticulturalsettings.Theyalsohighlightthewaysinwhichteachereducatorsandteachereducationprogramscanimpactfutureteachers’beliefsandattitudesaboutteachinginmulticulturalsettings.

Teachers Candidates’ Beliefs and Attitudes about Diversity Capella-Santana(2003)examined themulticulturalattitudesandbeliefsoffifty-twoteachercandidatesinanundergraduateelementaryeducationprogram.Theteachercandidatescompletedquestionnairesandinterviewsbeforeandaftertakingamulticulturaleducationcourseandbeforestudentteachinginanurbanschool. Results suggest that these novice teachers’ attitudes and beliefs aboutdiversitychangedpositivelyduringtheteacherpreparationprogrambecausepro-graminstructorsallowedtheteacherstofreelydiscussandchallengeissuesthatoccurredintheirurbanschool.AccordingtoCapella-Santana,beingplacedinadiverseschoolsettingandtakingamulticulturalcoursefocusedonsimilarissueshelpedthefutureteacherschangetheirattitudesanddevelopadesiretoworkindiverseschoolsettings. DuarteandReed(2004)foundsimilarresultswhentheyexaminedtwenty,White,femaleteachercandidates’culturalresponsiveness.ThenoviceteachersinDuarteandReed’sstudycompletedasurveypriortoandaftera3-hourfieldbaseexperienceinapublicschoolinordertoexaminetheirbeliefsandattitudesaboutmulticulturaleducation.Aftercompletingthefirstsurvey,theteachercandidatesvolunteeredtohavetheirfieldexperienceinanurbanschool(experimentalgroup)oraruralschool(controlgroup).Theteacherswhovolunteeredfortheurbanschoolparticipatedintwodiversityworkshops.Theteachersintheruralschoolweregivennoadditionaltrainingorsupport.DuarteandReeddiscoveredthatalloftheteachercandidatesheldstereotypicalattitudesregardingminoritychildrenandminorityneighborhoodspriortotheirfieldplacementandhadveryfewstrategiesonhowtoaddresstheneedsofdiverselearners.Attheendofthefield-baseexperience,theexperimentalgroup“offeredclearlydefinedideas,utilizedreal-lifescenariosthatwouldmakelearningexperiencesmoremeaningful;presentedmaterialstoaccommodatedifferentlearningstyles;utilizedmulticulturalanddiverseliteraturetofocusonissuessupportingtheminorityexperience,andfacilitatedlearningthatincludedstudents’culturalback-ground”(pg249).Thecontrolgroupconfusedculturalbackgroundforsocioeconomicstatusandmaintaineddeficitattitudesaboutdiversity.DuarteandReedrecommendteachereducationprogramsrestructure theirfieldexperiences to includespecificstrategiesneededtoworkindiverseschoolsettings. Davis,Crumpler,Stallworth,andCrawford(2005)usedethnographicmethodsasatooltohelpteachercandidatesunderstandtheirstudents’lives.Thirty-fourteachercandidates,enrolledinalargeMidwesternteacherpreparationprogram,observedanddescribedinteractionswithinspecificcommunitysettings,suchaschurchesandeatingestablishments—placeswheretheirstudentsactivelypartici-


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patedoutsideofschool.Ethnographicmethodssuchasobservationsandinterviewswereusedtounderstandstudents’livesoutsideofschoolandtoexplorestudents’culturalidentities.Theauthorsconcludedthatethnographicmethodswereanef-fectivewayforteachercandidatestolearnaboutstudents’culturallivesoutsideofschool,todevelopanin-depthawarenessoftheteacher’sroleindifferentiatingthecurriculum,andtobuildpositiverelationshipswithstudentsandfamiliesofdifferentculturalbackgrounds.Thesestudieshighlighthoweffectiveinstructionalpracticesandfieldexperiencesinteachereducationprogramscanhaveapositiveimpactonfutureteachers’attitudesandbeliefsaboutdiversity.

Teacher Educators’ Beliefs and Attitudes about Diversity Smolen,Colville-Hall,Liang,andMacDonald(2005)surveyed116full-timeteachereducatorsatfourmid-westerncollegesofeducation(eachauthorworkedatoneofthefourcolleges)inordertouncovertheirbeliefsandcommitmenttomulticulturaleducation.Findingsfromthestudysuggestthatwhilemostoftheteachereducatorsacknowledgedthechangingdemographicsofsociety,fewsharedcommonbeliefsandattitudesabouteffectivewaystoaddresstheimpactofdiversityintheirteachereducationprograms.Smolen,Colville-Hall,Liang,andMacDonald(2005)callforteachereducatorstocriticallyexaminetheirownbeliefsandpractices,developapersonalinvestmentandcommitmenttoequitableeducation,andworktochangetheexistingcultureofthelearning/teachingcommunityoftheirindividualprograms.MuchlikeSmolenetal.,BruchandHigbee(2001)surveyedagroupofdevelopmentaleducationfacultyinordertounderstandtheirbeliefsandattitudesaboutmulticulturaleducation.Only10outof67facultymemberscompletedthesurvey.BruchandHigbeefoundthatamongthefewinstructorswhocompletedthesurvey,allbelievedtherewasaneedformulticulturaleducationinordertochangepracticesandassumptions,embraceuniversalhumanityanddignity,andimprovetheirinstruction.Manyfacultymembersexpressedafearthattoomanyuniversityinstructorstakea“laissefaire”stancetowardsmulticulturaleducationandtendtomodeldeficitperspectives.BruchandHigbeebelievethatamodelofmulticulturalismshouldbelocallyproducedandthateducationprofessionalsmustfindwaystodiscusstheseissuesinwaysthatwillhelpthemrebuildtheircoursesandrevitalizetheirprograms. Inanotherstudy,Gordon(2005)exploredherownstruggleswithbeingaWhiteteachereducatorandtalkingaboutracewithherpreserviceteachersandsurveyedfellowteachereducatorsonhowtheyinfuseddiversityintotheircourses.GordonfocusedonhowWhitefacultymembersaddressraceamongthemselvesandwiththeirstudentsintheElementaryEducationProgramatGeorgeMasonUniversityanddiscoveredthattheWhitefacultyinherprogramgrappledwithwaystoaddressracein“politicallycorrectways.”Infact,theyavoidedexaminingraceonsystemiclevels.Broadlydefinednotionsofdiversityandaresistancetohave“unpleasant”discussionswiththeirstudentsprohibitedteachereducatorsfromexplicitly“see-


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ing”raceoraddressingothermulticulturalissuesintheircourses.Gordonsuggeststhatteachereducatorschallengewaysinwhichtheymaybereproducingsocialinequitiesinschoolsthroughtheirbeliefsystemsandlackofexplicitlyaddressingracismintheircourses. Whilemanyteachercandidatesmaycometoteachereducationprogramswithstereotypicalbeliefsanddeficitattitudesaboutstudentsfromdiversebackgrounds,thestudiesabovesuggestthatteachereducationprogramsandteachereducatorsthemselvescanimpactresponsivepracticesandbeliefsinmulticulturalclassrooms.Yet,teachereducatorsrarelyhavetheopportunitytoexploretheirownbeliefsandattitudesandunderstandhowtheirteachereducationprogramalignswitheffectivemulticulturalteachingandlearning.Inthisself-study,weexploredtheperspec-tives,beliefs,andpracticesofteachereducatorsworkinginonefield-baseteacherpreparationprogramwiththeaimofunderstandinghowbeliefsandattitudesheldbyteachereducatorsshapethepreparationoffutureteacherswhowillpotentiallyworkinmulticulturalschoolsettings.

Purpose of the Study Webelieveteachereducatorswhoworkincollegesofeducationplayapivotalroleinshapingthebeliefsandattitudesoffutureteachers;however,comparedtotheresearchonteachercandidates’beliefs,fewstudieshavefocusedonthebeliefsofteachereducatorswhoworkdirectlywithfutureteachers.Infactstudiesofteachereducators—whattheyarelike,whattheydo,andwhattheythink—aretypicallyoverlookedinteachereducationresearch(Darling-Hammond,1999).InordertoexaminethebeliefsandattitudesofteachereducatorsweadaptedCochran-Smith’s(2003)multiculturalconceptualframeworkusingqualitativeresearchmethodology.Keepinginmindthatalthoughindividualsmaybelongtothesamediscoursecom-munityandtheirperspectivesmayconflictorcontradicteachother,weexploredhowtheirperspectives,beliefs,andpracticesdifferedanddescribewhatthosedifferencesmayindicateaboutthecoherenceofoneteachereducationprogram.Thefollowingquestionsguidedthisstudy:(1)HowdoteachereducatorsworkingintheEarlyChildhood-4thfieldexperienceprogramandtheMiddleSchoolfieldexperienceprogramperceivemulticulturalteachereducation?(2)Howdotheirperceptionsandbeliefsaboutmulticulturalteachereducationinformtheirpractice?(3)Whatarethedifferentperspectivesbetweenandamongteachereducatorsworkinginthefieldexperienceprogram?and(4)Whatdothosedifferencesrevealaboutthecoherenceofoneteacherpreparationprogram?

Methodology

Context and Participants Thisstudytookplaceatalargesouthwesternuniversitywhereallundergradu-


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ateteachercandidates(alsoreferredtoaspreserviceteachersorinterns)seekingan elementary (Early Childhood-4), middle school (5-8), or secondary (9-12)certificationparticipate inafield-basedprogram(block)foronesemester.This60-hourfieldexperiencerequirementtakesplacepriortostudentteaching.TeachercandidatesintheEarlyChildhood-FourthGrade(EC-4)Programtaketworeadingcoursesandonecurriculumandinstructioncourseatalocalelementaryschoolsite.Whiletakingcoursesattheschoolsite,teachercandidatesinterninaclassroomwithamentorteacherforonesemester.MiddleSchoolteachercandidatestaketworeadingcoursesandonelearningtheorycourseontheirschoolsiteandalsointernwithamentorteacherforonesemester.Theteachercandidatesinthefield-basedprogramscompletecourses in reading,writing,assessment,curriculumdesign,andclassroommanagement. ThirteenteachereducatorsworkintheEC-4Programincollaborationwithnineelementaryschools.TwoteachereducatorsworkwiththeMiddleSchoolPro-gramincollaborationwithtwomiddleschools.Oneteachereducatorservesastheadministratorandoccasionalinstructorforallfield-basedcourses.Thedemograph-icsacrossallschoolsvary,howeverapproximately40%ofstudentswhoattendelementaryandmiddlelevelschoolsintheregioncomefromLatino/abackgroundsandasmanyas30%speakEnglishastheirsecondlanguage(http://www.tea.state.tx.us/research/).Aspartofthefield-baserequirements,teachereducatorsspendapproximately16hoursaweekontheschoolsiteteachingcoursesandsupervisingteachercandidates.Inall,theteachereducatorsinstructover320teachercandidates,workincollaborationwithapproximately231mentorteachers,andpartnerwith6differentschooldistrictsinthearea. Fourteen teacher educators participated in this study. Nine of the teachereducatorsarefull-timetenuretrackortenuredfacultyandhavetaughtcoursesinthefieldforanaverageoffouryears.Theotherfiveteachereducatorsarefull-timeadjunctfacultyandhavetaughtinthefieldforanaverageofsevenyears.ElevenoftheteachereducatorsareWhite,middleclassfemalesbetweentheagesof30-55years.TwoareMexican-Americanfemalesand twoareWhite,middleclassmalesbetweentheagesof40-55yearsold.ThreeofthefourteenteachereducatorsspeakSpanishfluently.Becausethefield-basedprogramsarespreadoutinvaryingschoolsthroughouttheregion,teachereducatorsgatherapproximatelyonceayeartodiscusstheircourses. Thefirstandthirdauthorsofthisstudyhavetaughtintheelementaryfield-experienceprogramandthesecondauthorcurrentlyteachesinthesecondaryfieldexperienceprogram.Asinsiderstothedifferentprograms,wewereawarethateachteachereducatortaughttheircoursesdifferentlyandseemedtoholddifferentbeliefsandattitudesaboutdiversity.Wepursuedthisstudyinordertobetterunderstandhowvariedperspectivesanddifferentinstructionalpracticesrelatedtoeachotherandtheoverarchinggoalsofcollegeofeducation.


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Data Collection and Analysis Weusedqualitativemethodologies(Merriam,2001)toexaminetheperspectivesandinstructionalpracticesofthefourteenteachereducatorswhowereresponsibleforinstructingteachercandidatesintheelementaryandmiddleschoolfield-basedclasses.Participantswereinterviewedaskeyinformants.Interviewswereaudiotapedandtranscribedverbatimandservedastheprimarysourceofdata.Otherdatasourcesincludedfollow-upinterviews,afocusgroupinterviewwithselectedvolunteers,andacollectionofcourseartifactssuchascoursesyllabi,schedulesoftopics,quizzes,examsorotherassessments.Followupinterviewsandthefocusgroupwereusedtoclarifymisunderstandingsandtomember-checkparticipants’espousedviews.Todocumentongoingdiscoveriesasweexaminedthedatasources,werecordedourreflections inaresearch journal(Erlandson,Harris,Skinner,&Allen,1993)anddiscussedongoingfindingswithateamofnon-participatingresearchers. Dataanalysiswasconductedbyusingconstantcomparativeanalysis(Strauss&Corbin,1998).Alldatasourceswereexaminedindependentlyusingqualitativedatareductionstrategies.Wereadandrereadalldataandcodedunitsofwordsthatstoodaloneinmeaning(Erlandson,etal.,1993).Opencodinginvolvedreadingthetranscriptsofeachteachereducatorandfromthefocusgroupinterview,linebylineandnamingandlabelingimportantwordsandphrases(e.g.,“It’sgreat,”“Ibelieve,”“quitedifficult”).Eachcodewasthenreexamined,redefined,andcombinedwithothersimilarcodes.Afterthecodeswereidentified,theyweredefined,andcategorizedintoemergingthemes(Lincoln&Guba,1985).Usingaxialcoding(Charmaz,2006),thethemesweresorted,andplacedintosubcategories.“Axialcodingrelatescategoriestosubcategories,specifiesthepropertiesanddimensionsofacategory,andreassemblesthedatatogivecoherencetotheemerginganalysis”(Charmaz,2006,p.60). Asinitialthemesemerged,weindividuallywrotesummariesdescribingeachthemeandthendiscussedthemtoensureinter-coderreliability(Charmaz,2006).Thewrittensummarieswereorganizedaccordingto“bigtentativethemes”thatemergedfromthedata.Forexample,oneemergingthemewastitled“Insider/OutsiderInformation.”Asaresearchteam,wewroteadetailedsummaryofthethemeandmadeindividualcommentsandchangesbasedonourinterpretationsofthedata.Finally,themeswereconfirmedandotherresearchwasusedtosupportitsbroadersignificance.

Findings and Discussion Data analysis revealed four themes: Balancing Optimistic Perspectives of Diversity While Facing Challenges,Authentic Experiences with Diverse Students,Universal Methods or Ideological Understandings,andEthnic and Linguistic Dif-ferences: Outsider or Insider Stances.Inthefollowingsection,wedescribethesefourthemesandexpandonhowtheparticipants’perspectives,beliefs,andpracticescontributetothecoherenceofoneteacherpreparationprogram.


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Balancing Optimistic Perspectives of Diversity While Facing Challenges Alloftheteachereducatorssharedthesameoptimisticviewthatdiversityisanopportunityforallpeople,especiallythosewhowillworkwithstudentsfromvaryingethnic,linguistic,economic,andreligiousbackgrounds.Forexample,oneteachereducatornoted,“It’swonderfulifyoucanspeakmorethanonelanguage…it’sexcitingandpositive.”Anotherexplained,“Ithinkitcouldbeaverypositiveandproductivething-particularlywhenourstudentsgettobeinclassroomswithkidsfromothercultures.”Thesecommentsreflecta“happytalk”perspectiveaboutmulticulturalism.Infact,theteachereducators’optimisticperspectivesareinconcertwithfindingsfromwhatHarvardsociologistsBellandHartman(2007)foundinalargenationalstudyonAmericans’viewofdiversitysuggestingthat“Beneathallthehappytalkaboutdiversity,manyAmericansharboradeepambivalenceaboutwherediversitywillleadthemandwhattheirresponsibilityistoit”(p.900). MuchliketheparticipantsinBellandHartmann’sstudy,theteachereduca-torsexpressedagreatdealofuncertaintyabouthowtoaddressdiversityintheirfield-basedcoursesandstruggledwiththechallengesofpreparingteachersfortherealitiesoftheclassroom.Forexample,oneteachereducatorexplained,“Butit[diversity]presentschallengesbecausewe’renotandourinternsarenotknowledge-ableonallofthedifferentculturesandlanguagebackgrounds.”Anothershared,“IfIamanewteacherandIamgoingtohavefivekidswhodon’tspeakEnglishorwhocomefrompoorfamilybackgrounds,andI’mresponsiblefortheirlearning,whatwillhappen?That’swhatismostchallenging.”Theteachereducatorsworriedaboutteachercandidates’misconceptionsaboutdiversity,butespeciallytheiras-sumptionsaboutstudentswhospeakalanguageotherthanEnglishandwhocomefrom low-incomebackgrounds.Onemiddle school teachereducatorexplained,“Myinternscomeinwithmisperceptionsandalackofunderstandingaboutthestudentstheyareworkingwith…thatisthechallengeIthinkwearefacing,gettingbacktomisperceptionsandassumptions.” Findingabalancebetweensustainingoptimisticperspectiveswhilehelpingteachercandidatesrecognize thechallengesofworkingwithculturallyandlin-guisticallydiversestudentsandtheirownmiddleclassmonolingualbackgroundscausedtheteachereducatorsmuchanxiety.Andwhiletheyallbelievedteachercandidatesshouldbecomelessjudgmentalandmoresensitivetostudents’diversebackgrounds,theyrarelymadethetimetoaddresssuchissuesexplicitly.Infact,teachereducatorsfearedthatexplicitlybringingupracialorsocioeconomicissueswouldcreateresistanceandcreatesituationsthattheywouldnotbeabletomanage.Oneteachereducatorexplained,

Ishouldstepupandsaysomething…butIdon’tgointoitwiththeveryresistantkid.Becausetherearealwaysthosecoupleofresistantkidswhojustdon’twanttotalkaboutthisandforme,itisabigsenseofworryingaboutdoingitwrong.Orcreatingmoreresistanceinthosestudents,somehowfeedingtheresistance.


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Theteachereducatorsalsoworriedaboutthesocialstigmaofaddressingrace.Asoneteachereducatorexplained:

Ithinkitisreallydangerous,consideringtheethnicandeconomicmakeupoftheprofessorsintheblockprograms,forustoapproachthatweactuallyhavethecorrectanswerandthatourstudentsarejustnaïveandthattheydon’tknow.Wedon’twanttotalkabouttheseissuesfromthe‘IamanenlightenedprofessorandIknow’perspective.

Instead,mostembeddedlesssensitivediversityissuessuchasethniccelebrationsandholidaysintotheircoursesbyusingmulticulturalpicturebooks.Theysharedthatusingmulticulturalpicturebooksallowedthemto“useoutsidesources”thatwould allow them to “sneak in” multicultural perspectives without distancingteachercandidates. Itisimportanttonotethatmanyoftheteachereducatorsworriedthatfocusingonthechallengesofteachingwoulddampertheoptimisticattitudestheywantedtheteachercandidatestocultivateaboutculturalandlinguisticdiversity.Asoneteachereducatorexplained,“Idon’tthinkit’snecessarilyhelpfulforstudentstohavecynicaloutlooksbeforetheygetstartedteaching.”Anotheradded,“Iftheyknewhowmanyteachersburnout,likeIdid,theymightnotgointoteaching.”

Authentic Experiences with Diverse Students Thevalueoffield-basedexperiencesisacomplexyetacceptedbeliefamongmanymulticulturalteachereducationresearchers(Capella-Santana,2003;Duarte&Reed,2004;Irvine,2003;Ladson-Billings,2001)andtheteachereducatorsinthis studyshared thisperspective. In fact,allof the teachereducatorsbelievedthat field-based learning experiences offer important opportunities for teachercandidatestogainvaluableknowledgeaboutmulticulturalteachingandlearning,toconnecttheorywithpractice,tobecomeintegratedintotheschoolcommunity,andtobecomemoreawareofandresponsivetodiversity.Forexampleoneteachereducatorexplained,“Ithinkthebestwayistohavethem[teachercandidates]atschools-complementingtheorywiththefield-basesothattheyseefirsthandwhatlanguagelearnerslooklike,talklike,etc.”Anotheragreed,

InternsdefinitelyneedtobeatschoolsliketheoneIam.ThisisabilingualViet-nameseschool,41languagesarespokenhereandeverydaytheywalkintotheclassroomandaredealingwithEnglishlanguagelearnersandthechallengesandthegreatthingsthathappen.

Alloftheteachereducatorsagreedthatthebenefitsofworkingatfield-basedschoolsoutweighedtheirownabilitiestoteachfordiversepopulationsandofferedauthenticopportunitiesformulticulturaleducation.Thisteachereducatorexplained,“Igivethempracticalwaystoapproachlearning…andwetalkaboutalltheirideasbutiftheydon’thavethecontextortheexposuretoschoolsandstudents,thentheyjustwon’tgetit.”


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Teachereducatorsplannedtheirinstructionaroundtheneedsoftheirfield-baseschoolanddirectcontactwithstudents.Theyrequiredteachercandidatestowriteandteachthreedifferentlessonsintheirassignedclassroomandconductatleastonecasestudyonastudentintheirschool.Whiletheseassignmentsvariedinfocusandscope,alloftheassignmentsrequiredteachercandidatestoworkdirectlywithlearnersintheirschools.Forinstance,oneteachereducatorexplainedhowcomplet-ingareadaloudlessonusingaMexicanAmericanpicturebookhelpedoneofhisteachercandidatesgainvaluableknowledgeaboutherstudents’backgrounds:

…she recognized that her students, not entirely, but most of her students areMexican.Sheisinabilingualclassandtheylivehereinthestatesandthey’redealingwiththoseissuesandbydoingherreadaloudwiththisbooksheprobablywasabletospeaktothemonsomelevel.

At thesametime,someteachereducatorsworriedthatpressurestopasshighstakestestsinsomefield-basedschoolssentwrongmessagesabouteffectiveinstructionfordiversepopulations.Oneteachereducatorshared,

They[teachercandidates]getoutthere,especiallyinschoolsthathavethelowersocioeconomicethnicgroups,andweseesomuchstresson(state-mandatedtest)preparation…weknowiftheygaveinstructiononstrategies,becauseweknowallkidsdon’tlearnthesame,andthey’renotgoingtogetthoseteststhesame,theymayneedmoretimeandmorerepetition.Butourinternstheyareseeingthisandtheyaregettingthewrongideasaboutteaching.Iworryaboutthis.

Anotherteachereducator,alsoconcernedabouttestingpressuresandthenegativeattitudesthatcanbeplayedoutinschools,stressedtheimportanceofsupervis-ingteachercandidateswhileinclassrooms:“Weasprofessorsneedtohelpourinternsbeabletomakesenseoftheirexperiences.Theyhavetohavethetoolstoanalyzewhat’sgoingonandunderstandhowitrelatestodiversity…tothinkinahistoricalkindofway.”

Universal Methods or Ideological Understandings Manyoftheteachereducatorsvacillatedbetweenfocusingoneffectiveteach-ingmethodsandhelpingteachercandidatesconsiderpersonalandsocioculturalideologiesrelatedtomulticulturaleducation.Somesharedthatteachercandidatesshouldmasterrecommendedpracticesandusethesewithallstudents.Forinstance,oneteachereducatorexplained,“Ithinkthey[teachercandidates]needtoknowspecificstrategiestohelpthosechildrendevelopEnglishortounderstandhowwedothingshereinAmerica.”Likewise,anotherteachereducatornoted,“Ourkids[teachercandidates]reallyliketohaveateachertoolboxofthingstodo.Infact,Ithinkitshouldbeateachertoolboxof‘thisiswhatyoudo’followcarefully.” Althoughhalfoftheteachereducatorsnotedmethods-basedinstructionasapositivesolutiontoworkingwithdiverselearners,noneofthemwereabletogivespecificexamplesoridentifywhichstrategieswheremosteffective.Onestated,


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TheyneedtoknowactualstrategiesbutIdon’tknowwhatthosearebecauseIdon’tteachthat.Imean,Idon’tknowexactstrategiestouse.Iprobablyneedtoknowmoreaboutmulticulturaleducationtohelpchildren’sinstruction.

Otherssharedthatteachercandidatesneededtohaveasolidresearchbasetobestworkwithdiversestudents.Oneteachereducatoracknowledged,

Ithinkthey[teachercandidates]needtoknowsomefoundationaltypesofinforma-tion…ageneralunderstandingoftheresearchthatsuggestsparticularteachingstrategiesormotivationalapproachesbutIamgoingbacktothefactthatIdon’tcurrentlyusethoseinmyblock.

Embeddedwithin themethodsperspective is theunderlyingbelief that in-structionfordiversestudentsshouldmirrorinstructionthatworksforallstudents.Anotherteacherexplained,“Goodteachingisgoodteachingandlearninghowtomanagestudentbehaviorandstudentlearning—thatisallyouhavetodo.”ThisperspectiveresemblesacommonorientationinU.S.teachereducationandacurrentdebateamongmanymulticulturaleducators(Bartolomé,1994;Delpit,1995)onwhetherteachereducationprogramsshouldfocussolelyoninstructionalmethodsbasedon“bestpractices”thataredeemedeffectiveformainstream,monolingualstudentsortohelpfutureteacherstakeintoconsiderationthesocio-historicalandpoliticaldimensionsofeducation. Thisdebatewasevidentamongotherteachereducatorsinthisstudy.Forex-ample,severalteachereducatorsbelievedthatteachercandidatesshouldcriticallyreflect on socio-political and sociocultural ideologies of education.While thisbeliefdidnotreplacetheimportanceofcertainmethods,itwasmoreofacentralfocusforasmallnumberofteachereducatorsandisreflectedintheirpracticeasdescribedbelow.Issuesdeemedimportantincludedlanguagehegemony,identity,homeandschoolconnections,andhowsocio-economicdifferencesimpactteachingandlearning.Forexample,whilesharingastoryaboutateacherwhotaughtinanurbanschoolsettinganddroppedoutafterherfirstyearofteaching,thisteachereducatorexplainedtheimportanceoflearningaboutsocialinequities,racism,andlanguagelearning:

Ifshehadafirmerunderstandingofthehistoryofinequitiesandracisminthecountryandamorecriticalperspectiveonlanguagelearning,shewouldn’thavegoneintothatclassroomandthenbeensoquicktofeelwrongedbytheparents.Shemayhaveevenbeenabletodialoguewiththem…theseproblemsarebiggerthanherbutifsheknewshemighthaveatleastbeenabletonavigatethosewatersratherthanfeellikeavictiminthatsituation…ItellthisstorybecauseIthinkitrepresentsastorythatIhaveheardmanytimesbefore.Itshowsalackofthesortofcriticalreflexivepositionthatactuallyneedstobetakenbyteachers,notjustWhiteteachersbutallteachers,especiallyWhite,monolingualteachers.

Reflectingonsocial inequitieswasimportantforanother teachereducatorwhoexpressedthatteachercandidatesmustbeawareofhowschoolsandteacherscan


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sociallyconstructlearningdisabilitiesbyhowtheydefinestrugglingreadersandEnglishlearners.Sheexplained,

Inmyschool,teacherswillrecommendkidsfortutoringwhoteachersperceiveasstrugglingbutaftertheyareassessedandwhengivenopportunitiestoperformthey are not necessarily struggling.They are struggling within the particularboundariesoftheclassroom…Ibelieveininstructionaldisabilitythatwecreatedisabilitiesthroughpoorinstruction.Forinstance,wehadayoungfourthgradestudentwhowasanon-nativespeakerofEnglishbuthadbeenintheschoolforthreeyearsandidentifiedasastrugglingreaderanditwasinfourthgradethattheydiscoveredthatshewasreadingonapre-primerlevel.Thatisinstructionaldisabilitiesanddiscrimination.

AnotherteachereducatorexplainedtheimportanceofhelpingteachercandidatesconceptualizethatStandardEnglishisthelanguageofpowerintheU.S.andthatallchildrenshouldhaveaccesstoit.Liketheotherteachereducatorswhoexpressedsocio-culturalperspectives,shesharedastoryaboutherownteachinginanurbanschoolinTennessee:

Itwasmypracticeinmiddleschooltopointouttomystudentsthattheirabilitytocreaterapswasaverycomplexformofverbalart.Andiftheywereabletodothat,theycouldmasterStandardEnglishinnotime.ItoldthemthatbecauseStandardEnglishiswhattheycanusetohavepowerandhavemoneytheywouldneedtocodeswitchandknowwhenandwheretousetheirlanguageaspower.

Theteachereducatorswhomaintainedthissocio-politicalandsocioculturalperspectivealsoexpressedtheimportanceforteachercandidatestoreflectontheirownWhite,monolingualbackgroundsaswellastheconsequencesofnotinterrogat-ingone’sassumptionsaboutschoolsandlanguage.Thecommentbelowillustratesthisarticulatedbelief:

Insteadofwhiteblindness,they[teachercandidates]havealackofcriticalper-spectiveondiversityingeneral.Theyneedtointerrogatetheirownbeliefsandknowhowmuchlanguageistiedtoidentity…Withoutinterrogatingourbeliefs,I think thatwecanoftenpassivelysendmessages,whichare inappropriateorproblematicforstudents.

Insteadofsupplyingteachercandidateswithatoolboxofbestpracticesormethodstoteachallstudents,thisgroupofteachereducatorsused‘accidentaldiscussions’toaddresscriticalissueswiththeirstudents.Theseaccidentaldiscussionswererarelyplannedbutalwaysattemptedtoaddressrealsituationsinthefield-basedschoolswhereteachercandidatesinterned.Thisperspectiveissimilar totransformativeeducationassuggestedbyGirouxandMcLaren(1987,p.271):“Teachereducationoughttopromoteasituationwherefutureteacherscandealcriticallywithwhatexistsinordertoimproveit.”Thistransformativeviewwouldrequirea“commit-menttothecritiquing,challengingandchangingofthestatusquo…groundedinanexaminationofpowerrelationsandachallengingofsocialstructureswhichproduce


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orperpetuateunequalsocialrelations”(Grundy&Hatton,1994).Ladson-BillingsadvocatessimilartransformativeideasinherbookCrossing Over to Canaan.Sheasksteachereducatorstocreateavisionofteachereducationwitha“transforma-tiveagenda”modelingasocialconsciousnessandidentifyingthetoolstoeffectrealsocialchangeinthelivesofchildren(2001,p.xiii-xiv).

Ethnic and Linguistic Differences: Outsider or Insider Stance Alloftheteachereducatorsnotedthatmulticulturaleducationshouldbuildonstudents’ethnicandlinguisticdifferences.However,theapproachteachereducatorsusedtoaddressanddiscussdifferencesintheircoursesvaried.Manyfocusedondifferencesintermsofethnicgroupidentifierssuchas“BlackkidsneedtofocusonStandardEnglish”or socioeconomicdifferences suchas “poorkids are theonesthatreallyhavetrouble.”Forexample,whenaskedwhatteachercandidatesneedtoknowaboutteachingnon-standardformsofEnglish,thisteachereducatorexplained:

IbelievethatitgoesbacktounderstandingthecultureoftheBlackfamilyandtheirdialectsandwhytheyhavethosedialects,howtheycommunicatewitheachotherinadifferentdialect.Ifwedon’tunderstandtheBlackculture,howarewegoingtoknowaboutthelanguagebecausethelanguageissomuchpartofthebigpicture?

Besidesfocusingonethnicdifferences,manyexpressedtheimportanceofcom-paringindividuallearningabilitieswithtraditional,statemandatedobjectives.Forexample,thisteachereducatornoted,“Eachchildcomingintotheclassroomwillbedifferent,mostareHispanic,someareBlackandteachercandidatesneedtohavealistofdifferencessotheywillknowhoweachkidwillmeasureuptogradelevelstandards.” Atthesametime,manyworriedabouttheethnicdifferencesbetweenteachercandidatesandthestudentstheywillteachinschools.Inorderberesponsivetoethnicuniqueness,someoftheteachereducatorsbelievedthatteachercandidatesshouldlearnabouttheirstudents’ethnicbackgroundsandthisrequiredoutsideresearch.Oneteachereducatornoted,“Ifwegetastudentandwe’renotsureabouttheirculture,insteadofjudgingthemrightaway,Ithinkweneedtodoalittleresearchorlooksomethingsup.”Anothersuggestedrequestinganexperttocometalktotheteachercandidates:“Maybebringinsomeexpertsthathavetaughtpeopleoftheseculturesandhavethemsharewithushowtheylearnintheircountryorwhataresomeoftheimportantthings…youknowtheycanadviseus.” Insteadofusinganoutsidestancetolearnaboutculturaldifferences,severalotherteachereducatorsbelievedteachercandidatesmustdeveloppersonalrelationshipswithstudentsinordertogainaninsightintostudents’uniquewaysofthinkingandunderstandingtheworld.Studentinsightgoeshandinhandwithpersonalinsightintoone’sownwaysofbeing.Forexample,oneteachereducatorexplained“when


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they[teachercandidates]beginworkingwithastudentwhoisdifferentfromthem,eitherlinguisticallyorfromasocialclass,orfromraceorethnicity,that’sneatbecausetheylearnsomethingaboutthatchildbuttheyalsobegintolearnaboutthemselvesandIencouragethemtosharethatwiththeirstudent.”Learningaboutastudents’culturalorlinguisticbackgrounddoesnotrequireoutsideresearch,butbuildinganinsiderperspectiveonstudents,theircommunity,andthecultureoftheirclassroom.Oneteachereducatorexplained,“Iencouragethemtoeatlunchwiththemorfollowthechildtospecials,outtorecessandtalktohim.Seehowthechilddoesindifferentclassroomssotheyunderstandthewholechildanddifferentperspectives.” Teachercandidatesareencouragedtobeethnographersofstudentsandmakeinformed teachingdecisionsbasedon their interactionswithstudentsand theirfamilies.Oneteachereducatorexplained,

Idoachildstudywheretheinternsbasicallyareassignedtogettoknowakid.Imeangettoknowakidandthenshowmethatyouknowthekidandbuildabridgetotheirlanguageandliteracyinstruction.

Another teacher educator described a project he does every semester with histeacher candidates and agroupof seventhgraders. “This onevery specializedseriesofprojectsishelpinginternsgettoknowthenatureandcharacteristicsofkidsfromdifferentbackgroundsandlanguages.Myresponsibilityistobethereto help themdevelop interpersonal relationships.”This perspective alignswithculturallyresponsiveteachingandlearning(Irvine,2003;Ladson-Billings,1995)as well as constructivist perspectives (Garcia, 2004) prevalent in multiculturalteacherresearch.Thesetheoriesadvocatethatteachersshouldbecome“culturalbrokers”whodevelopculturalcompetencetoworkeffectivelywithparentsandfamilies,drawoncommunityandfamilyresources,andknowhowtolearnabouttheculturesoftheirstudents(Bartolomé,2002).

Discussion and Implications Thefourteenteachereducatorswhoparticipatedinthisstudyexpressedvary-ingbeliefsandpracticesaboutmulticulturalteachereducation.Similarly,theyallidentifiedtheimportanceofpreparingteachersforthegrowingculturalandlinguisticdiversityinU.S.schools(Smolen,Colville-Hall,Liang,&MacDonald,2005)andagreedthatlearningthroughauthenticfieldexperiencescangiveteachercandidatestheopportunitytoexperiencetheuncertain,dynamic,complex,andmultifacetednatureofdiversityintoday’sschoolsandinfluencewhatteachercandidatesbelieveandcometoknowabouttheirstudents’experiencesandabilities(Capella-Santana,200;Duarte&Reed,2004).And,whiletheysharedanoptimisticperspectiveaboutdiversity,muchlikeGordon’sresearch(2005)theygrappledwithwaystoaddressraceandthetensionsassociatedwithmulticulturaleducation.Somebelievedthatmasteringparticularmethodsor“bestpractices”wouldimprovetheachievementofdiversestudentswhileothersusedaccidentaldiscussionstohelpfutureteachers


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critiquesocioculturalrealitiesandinterrogatetheirownlivedexperiences.Thesebeliefsandpracticesresembleacurrentdebateamongmanyeducators(Bartolomé,2004;Delpit,1995)onwhetherteachereducationprogramsshouldfocussolelyoninstructionalmethodsbasedon“bestpractices”thataredeemedeffectiveformainstream,monolingualstudents,ortohelpfutureteacherstakeintoconsiderationthesocio-historicalandpoliticaldimensionsofeducation. Theseresultscanhavedifferentimplicationsforateacherpreparationpro-gram.Forinstance,somewarnthatbynotexplicitlyaddressingrace,acolorblindperspectiveamongteachereducatorscanperpetuatenegativeperspectivesaboutminoritystudentsandcanaddtothemismatchbetweenaWhiteteachingforceandadiversestudentpopulation(Irvine,2003).Likewise,ifteachercandidatesassumethattheuseofafew“good”strategiesormasteryofparticularteachingmethodsinandofthemselveswillguaranteesuccessfulstudentlearning,theymaybelievethatsimplisticsolutionswilldecreasetheachievementgap.Thisassumptioncouldreproducethebeliefthatschoolsarejustandfairplaceswhereallstudentshaveequalopportunities.Atthesametime,teachercandidatesmayconsiderlearningtoteachasmasteringtechnicalskillsinsteadofacomplexinteractionofknowledge,experience, and personal beliefs about diversity.These practices can promotesimplisticandsurfacelevelknowledgeaboutmulticulturalteachingandlearning(Villegas&Lucas,2002). These findings suggest that the teacher educators’ varied perspectives andpracticesmaynotillustrateacoherentteachereducationprograminwhichfacultymembers have a collective purpose and central focus formulticultural teacherlearning.Yet,webelieve this studyhas important implicationsnotonly forus,butallteachereducationprogramsthatprepareteachersformulticulturalschoolsettings.Havingcoherencewithinaprogramdoesnotnecessarilysuggestthatallteachereducatorsthinkthesame.Instead,coherenceshouldconsiderhowteachereducatorsaligntheirbeliefsandpracticesandworktogethertoconceptualizeandorganizehowlearningexperiencesforourdiversestudentpopulationarecarriedout(Tatto,1996).AccordingtoHammerness(2006),coherenceinateacherprepa-rationprogramshouldnotbeviewedasafinaloutcometoachieve,butrather,acontinuousreflectiveprocessthatinvolvesassessmentandself-reflectiontoscaffoldaprogram’scoherence. Ifteachereducatorshopetopositivelyinfluencethesuccessofculturallyandlinguisticallydiversestudents,thenwemustcontinuouslyassessourthinkingandclassroompracticetoimprovethewayweeducatefutureteachers.AsCochran-Smith,Davis,andFries(2004)suggest,“teachereducatorsthemselvesmustengageinunflinchingself-examinationaboutunderlyingideologyinmuchthesamewaythattheyurgeforteachercandidates”(p.956).Teachereducatorsmustcriticallyconsider theirvaluesandbeliefsaboutdiversityandunderstandhow theirper-ceptionsfiltertheirinstructionandtheaimsofateachereducationprogram.Asinsidersandgatekeeperstotheprofession,teachereducatorsplayapivotalrole


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ininfluencingthepolicyandpracticesrelatedtomulticulturalissuesinteachereducation(Bartolomé,2004)andtheirinfluenceonteacherpreparationprogramsmustnotbeoverlooked(MacDonald,Colville-Hall,&Smolen,2003). Developing a coherent program can be challenging, but teacher educatorscanworktowardsasharedvisionofteachingandlearningiftheyarecommittedtoexploringtheirindividualandsharedbeliefsandpractices.Inordertodothis,teacher educatorsmustmake the time and create the space to reconsider theirbeliefs, practices, and goals as educators.They need to establish personal andprogrammaticgoalsyearly,coupledwithindividualandcollectiveprogramself-assessment.ConductingprogramresearchsuchasBruchandHigbee’s(2002)selfstudycanhelpteachereducatorsdevelopamodelofmulticulturalismthatislocallyproducedandunderstoodaswellasuncoverthetensionsandconflictsneededtochangecurrentpracticesandassumptions.Teachereducatorsmayconsideraddingaperformance-basedassessmenttotheirfield-basedcoursessuchasanendoftheprogramportfolioandpresentation.Asfacultyconstructnewwaystoassessnoviceteachers’knowledgeandbeliefsaboutmulticulturalism,theywillbeforcedtofleshoutimportantprinciplesandpracticesneededtooccurinallcourses. Thisprocesswillprovideopportunitiestodiscusstoughbutimportantissuesrelatedtoworkingindiverseschoolsettings.Moreimportantly,teachereduca-torsmustbecommittedtoadvancingtheirownlearningaswellasthelearningofthefutureteacherswhowalkthroughtheirprogram.Theteachereducatorsinthisstudyhavelargecourseloadsandmanyprofessionalresponsibilities.Theyarerarelygivenopportunitiestoreflectontheirownbeliefsandpracticesregard-ingmulticulturalteachingandlearning.Thisstudywasthefirstopportunityformanyoftheteachereducatorstotalkabouttheirbeliefsandpracticesaroundmulticulturaleducation.Moreprofessionaldevelopmentsuchasbookclubsormulticulturalinstitutesthatgiveteachereducatorsthetimeandspacetocriticallyreflectontheirexperiencesmaybe thefirststep inchanginghowwepreparefutureteachersfortheshiftingculturalandlinguisticlandscapesofourschools.EventhoughIrvine(2003)viewscriticalreflectionasasignificantaspectintheprofessionaldevelopmentshenotes,“Facultymemberscannotbeexpectedtodevelopcommitmentandcompetenceontheirown”(p.43). Thisworkmustbeseenasalong-termandongoingundertakingthatrequiresadministrative support” (Gordon,2005,p.150).Thereforewestrongly suggestthatdeansofcollegesofeducationandchairsofteachereducationprogramsvaluetheworkthatittakestodevelopacoherentprogrambygivingteachereducators’thetimeandprofessionalsupporttodothisimportantwork.Suchacommitmentwouldhighlighttheinstitutionalsupportnecessarytodevelopprogramcoherenceandgrowth.Andsince teacherpreparationprogramsworkcollaborativelywithschool districts and community groups, a cohesive teacher education programshouldconsiderthegoalsandneedsofthelocalcommunity.Teachereducatorsshould consider volunteering in community-based field experiences outside of


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theircourserequirements inorder togainvaluableresourcesforunderstandingstudents, forunderstandingcontextual factors significant to learning indiverseschoolsettings,andforprovidingopportunities for linkingcommunity,school,anduniversitygoals.

Limitations UsingCochran-Smith’sconceptualframeworkallowedustouncoverofthecomplexityofteachereducators’beliefsandattitudesaboutdiversityaswellasuncoverthevariedpracticesinoneteachereducationprogram.Fewstudieshavecloselyexaminedteachereducators’perspectivesandattitudesinrelationtoprogramcoherence.Yetitisimportanttoidentifyafewlimitationsofthisstudy.First,theteachereducatorsexpressedvaryingdegreesofexperienceandknowledgerelatedtomulticulturaleducation.Suchdifferencescanbetracedtoinstitutionalranks(adjunct,lecturer,andtenure-track)andtheeducationalbackgroundofthefaculty.Atthesametime,professionaldevelopmentsupportorlackofsupportmayalsobeafactorintheparticipants’variedattitudesandbeliefsaboutdiversity.Wedidnotexplorehowtheteachereducators’educationalandprofessionaldevelopmentexperiencesand/orprofessionalranksshapedtheirbeliefsandattitudes. Futureresearchshouldtaketheseissuesintoconsiderationinordertofleshouthowsuchdifferencesmayimpactthecentralfocusandsharedresponsibilityofaprogram.Additionally,theparticipantsconductedtheirfield-basedprogramsatdifferentschoolsintheregion.Someschoolsweremoreculturallyandlinguisti-callydiversethanothers.Localschooldiversitymayhaveplayedalargerpartinhowtheteachereducatorsviewedmulticulturaleducationandit’simportanceintheprogram.

A Final Comment Cochran-SmithandZeichner(2005)suggestthatteachereducationprogramsstudythemselvesandthecommunitiesinwhichtheyareapartofasanimportantandongoingeffort.Theycontendthat“Preserviceandin-serviceteachereduca-tionprogramsneedprocessesthatpromptteachersandteachereducatorstoraisequestionsaboutrace,class,andethnicityandtodevelopcoursesofactionthatarevalidforparticularcommunities”(p.104).MuchlikeCochran-SmithandZeichnersuggest,ourresearchservedbothasanindirectself-studyofoneteacherpreparationprogramaswellasapersonallookatourownbeliefsandinstructionalpractices.Ithasallowedustobecriticallyreflectiveandquestionourperspectiveswhilecloselystudyingthoseofourfellowcolleagues. Intheend,thisstudyhashelpedustoexaminehowourracial,multilingual,variedworldviewsandinstructionalpracticeshavecontributedtosimplisticnotionsofdiversity.Throughourstudywehavebecomemorecognizantoftheimportanceoftalkingaboutracisminrelationtomulticulturalteachingandlearning,and


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howcolorblindperspectives,oftenunintentional,cannegativelyimpactstudentlearning.

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