Working with Families in Urban Teacher Education: A Critical Need for All Students

Abstract

The positive impact of family–school relationships is well documented in the literature, as is the need for teacher education to prepare teachers to work positively with diverse families. This article reports the experiences and perspectives of candidates in an elementary urban teacher preparation program in the United States as they engaged in authentic experiences with the families of their students. Findings provide evidence that authentic experiences within constructivist teacher education can help candidates regard families as a valuable resource for teachers in urban schools. The results highlight the need to provide candidates with authentic and relevant community- and family-based experiences within carefully designed teacher preparation programs as we strive to prepare the teachers all children deserve.