From our journals: Equity in teacher preparation

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May 13, 2022
Meghan Ensell

Beyond “best practices”: Centering equity in teacher preparation evaluation 

By: Marilyn Cochran-Smith, Boston College and Emilie Reagan, Claremont Graduate University 

Published in: Education Policy Archives, May 2022

This article analyzes recent policy proposals regarding “best practices for evaluating teacher preparation programs” by critiquing 19 major reports focused on evaluation. The analysis revealed that the reports’ primary goal was identifying preferred evaluation metrics using rigorous criteria for accuracy and utility. The majority of reports did not position equity as a central goal of evaluation and said little about equity explicitly; although some assumed equity was a by-product of rigorous evaluation systems. The authors advocate for an equity-centered approach to teacher preparation evaluation that acknowledges long-standing inequities in educational opportunity and attainment in the U.S. They reject the idea of “best practices” and instead offer 11 guiding principles for researchers, policymakers and practitioners to make strong equity the center of evaluation. 

 

Review of “(Re)designing programs: A vision for equity-centered, clinically based teacher preparation”

By: Abby F. Holland, Wingate University 

Published in: Education Review, May 2022

Holland recommends this book to “anyone involved in the teacher preparation process” with the caveat that the authors focus on redesign implementation in colleges of education for those who have authority to make changes. The book, she says, might have a wider appeal and applicability if it focused more on what individual clinical educators can do to support teacher candidates who seek to place equity at the center of their practice. “Placing equity at the center of school-university partnerships would allow the next generation of teachers to understand why the opportunity gap exists and determine what they can do to narrow it,” Holland says. 

 

School curriculum in the news: Black Lives Matter and the continuing struggle for culturally responsive education 

By: Abe Feuerstein, Bucknell University

Published in: Current Issues in Education, May 2022

Feuerstein aims to identify the dominant narrative frames in 72 articles published in four U.S.-based newspapers. He found two competing narratives: One clearly addresses inequality and systemic injustice, while the other claims national identity and patriotism, which potentially limits schools that aim to discuss racial justice. This study asks us to think about the bridges between education and communication studies, and strengthening our commitment to publishing boundary research to inform education policy and teaching practices.