Black Women’s Labor and White Ally Development in an Urban Teacher Education Program

The article uses events and narratives from the perspectives of Black women professors as examples of how allyship can be birthed and to illustrate the roles, responsibilities, and risks inherent in allyship development and work. It focuses on the labor needed to establish and sustain allyship as critical anti-racist educators in an Urban Teacher Preparation Program at a Historical White Institution. Dispositions of White allies are discussed, in addition to the various tensions allies may face in creating and sustaining equitable spaces and practices. Considerations for reciprocity are also offered to better support faculty of color.

Where Are They Now?

Available evidence suggests that inequities exist in the distribution of qualified teachers within high-poverty urban schools, and further, that such inequities adversely affect student achievement in these schools. This paper highlights the role of teacher education in addressing this challenge by describing the findings of a study of the graduates of University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Urban Teacher Enhancement Program. The career paths of program graduates who began teaching in urban schools were examined at the first-, fifth-, and tenth-year mark to investigate their longevity in urban schools, their perceptions of their greatest rewards and challenges, their perspectives regarding their reasons for entering and/or staying in urban teaching, and their thoughts about the role their teacher education program played in their career trajectory. Findings indicate that retention rates of study participants compare favorably with national averages, and that program participants felt that their teacher education program had a positive influence on their longevity in urban teaching.

Preparing Teacher Candidates for Trauma-Informed Practices

Children who experience trauma may experience negative health and educational outcomes. Teachers are critical stakeholders in trauma-informed schools and are tasked with recognizing and responding to the needs of students who experience trauma. However, teachers face barriers to implementing trauma-informed practices, including high levels of stress and lack of preparation. This article describes training embedded in an urban teacher preparation program aimed at increasing the trauma knowledge and skills confidence of teacher candidates. Findings suggest the training helped teacher candidates increase knowledge and skills and met stated needs. Recommendations for future research and implications for teachers and teacher educators are discussed.

Theory-Practice Divides and the Persistent Challenges of Embedding Tools for Social Justice in a STEM Urban Teacher Residency Program

This study examined how the concept of social justice was operationalized in the university coursework of students enrolled in an urban teacher residency program that aims to diversify the teaching corps and prepare secondary STEM teachers for urban classroom environments. Based on analysis of 39 syllabi and interviews with nine faculty members, we found that challenges in embedding social justice theory with STEM content knowledge were attributable to the lack of a shared definition among program faculty, and external pressures imposed by state teacher credentialing requirements. We conclude with recommendations for practice by suggesting ways that rigorous STEM content knowledge can be combined with locally and historically contextualized social critique and tools for change in order to support teachers in enacting justice-oriented practice in communities.