Abstract:

This paper examines how a distinctive co-curricular teacher preparation program is adapting to address the teacher crisis and new realities [1] of public higher education in the United States. The teacher preparation program was originally created to support co-curricular learning and development opportunities for underrepresented students seeking to become teachers and work with culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students and English language learners (ELL) in K-12 schools in the United States. The paper analyzes the program’s design and evolving focus on diversifying the teacher body [2], and how recruitment, retention, and graduation strategies meet the Professional Standards for Teaching in a region of the country experiencing rapid demographic change. In local schools, CLD students, including immigrant and refugees, represent over 60% of students; one in four students are also ELLs, compared to a national average of 10.3% (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2020).

The program is informed by socio-constructivist theories and the notion that transformative education requires learners to identify, critically reflect, and then act upon an object of knowledge, leading t particular ways of being and doing [3]. For students this involves transformations in individual behavior and consciousness through meaningful interactions, especially related to social justice and equity [4].

Two questions are addressed:
1. How do the different components of a co-curricular program adapt to changing times to meet the needs of pre-service teachers’ professional development?
2. How are future teachers developing professionally and personally as teacher-leaders through the program’s co-curricular requirements?

Using a case study approach [5] internal and external program review and assessment data are examined, including examples of student voices and students’ community focused leadership projects. Findings for question number one explore how key program components, founded on High Impact Practices [6], such as Living/Learning Communities, cohort classes, and Community Engaged Learning have evolved in the post-COVID era to increase access and accommodate off-campus residencies and in-person collective Senior Nights, as well as leadership development workshops. Findings for the second question examine how teacher candidates, with the support of teacher and peer mentorships, evolved in their thinking and critical reflections on their professional and personal identities, and how they created leadership projects to serve underrepresented K-12 students, families, and communities that also impacted them.

While this co-curricular program continues to adapt to successfully prepare candidates to meet professional standards for teaching, and to engage in schools and community, it is necessary to consider limitations and challenges, such as program enrollment capacity, funding, and the ongoing teacher crisis [7]. Therefore, audience discussion centers on the program model and the ways in which teacher preparation programs must adapt to the changing classroom needs and social issues, especially those related to access, diversity, power relations, and teachers’ roles as change agents.

References:
[1] A. Levine and S.J Van Pelt, 2021.
[2] Schaefer, K. 2021. 
[3] P. Freire, 1987.
[4] E. W. Taylor, P. Cranton, et al.,2012.
[5] R. K. Yin, 2012
[6] G. D. Kuh,2008.
[7] E. Westervelt, 2015

Keywords:

Teacher Preparation, co-curricular programs, culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD), English language learners (ELL).