Revolutionary, Evolutionary, or Purposeful: Reimagining Social Justice–Oriented Teacher Preparation

Abstract

As faculty, staff, and researchers in an urban teacher residency program that aims to prepare residents to teach in an urban, high need district, we, the authors, have experienced firsthand the possibilities of social justice-oriented teacher preparation, as well as the challenges and constraints of doing so, particularly in the current sociopolitical context. In this critical co-constructed autoethnography, we analyze how we faced and attempted to address some of the dilemmas we encountered. Our analysis highlights the imperative for teacher education and teaching more generally to be considered within the socio-political context in which it actually occurs. We conclude with implications for our own work as well as for teacher educators and teacher preparation programs more broadly.