Reading African‐American literature to understand the world: critical race praxis in teacher preparation

Abstract

Teacher preparation programs have come under close scrutiny and teacher educators are being called to shift the center of gravity from traditional approaches to more transformative and urban‐focused curricula that will better prepare teacher candidates (TCs) to become effective and caring teachers of diverse pupils, particularly in urban sites. Critical race praxis scholars and practitioners have long argued that colleges of education have been complicit in maintaining the education inequalities that exist in schools that serve children of color, English language learners, and other pupils of non‐dominant backgrounds. In this paper, I will give an account of the changes made in a student‐teaching seminar, including the assigned readings and fieldwork assignments, that aimed to explore the key ideas of historical context, especially as it is reflected in schools and communities, and the notion of self as situated within it. Drawing from the experiences of many years as a teacher educator but especially from those in the reported year‐long course of study and actions, I conclude that teacher preparation must first center all efforts in offering TCs ideas and text that pave the way to resist racist, reductionist, and overly‐simplified metaphors that are used to describe children and second insist on highlighting real models of teachers and school leaders who know the historical and cultural antecedents of their school and communities, and who frame powerfully a culture of learning and an ethos of achievement that is accessible to non‐dominant students and their parents.

Keywords:

• critical race praxis
• teacher education
• urban schools
• student teaching
• literature

Acknowledgements

My deepest gratitude goes to David Stovall, wonderful colleague and friend at UIC, who supported, listened, challenged, and mentored my every effort during the entire time of my thinking and re‐designing this senior seminar on urban teaching,

Notes

At the reporting of this work and course of study, the impact of the curricular changes as rendered here are best reflected in the 26 TCs’ newly acquired teaching positions that contrast dramatically with those of previous years: Fifteen of the 26 are currently teaching in Chicago Public Schools urban sites, of whom, six were offered positions in suburban or private schools; four have either moved out of state or accepted teaching assistant positions; two, at the submission of this paper, had not secured a position anywhere, and one was dropped from the program.