January 6, 2022
Teacher preparation programs and those that support them must prioritize diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism in their efforts to prepare a more robust and diverse teacher pipeline. That is why a group of leading Teacher Preparation Transformation Centers—technical assistance providers working with teacher preparation programs (the Centers) and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation* and Education First—came together to transform teacher education. Their vision? If teacher preparation programs implement sustainable, quality programming at scale that recruits and retains diverse, effective new candidates, then more teachers will be better prepared to positively impact all students.
The Centers understand that we cannot achieve this vision without an explicit focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism (DEIA) in teacher education. To aid teacher preparation programs and technical assistance providers, leaders from the Centers developed the DEI Companion Document to the Teacher Preparation Outcomes and Indicators (the DEI Companion Document), a guide to deepening a program’s focus on these principles.
In this three-part blog series (linked below), leaders from select Centers meet with faculty and staff from their teacher preparation program partners to explore the programs’ existing and planned efforts to apply a deeper focus on DEIA. Throughout the blogs, we will include snapshots that highlight how programs are engaging in some of the suggested actions that the DEI Companion Document recommends. While every program is on its own unique DEIA journey, we hope this blog series offers some learnings and inspires all programs to continue the important work to transform teacher preparation.
Read the full series:
Part 1: Anti-Racism in Teacher Preparation Through Courageous Conversations and Intentional Planning
Part 2: Building a foundational understanding of DEIA for faculty, staff and district partners
Part 3: Centering students with disabilities in anti-racist teacher education
*Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of the foundation.
