Center for Excellence and Equity in Teacher Preparation
Diversifying Teacher Education at a Predominantly White Institution: A Public Scholarship Framework
Status
Active
Category
Research/Publication/Collaboration/Partnership
Target Audience
Public
College/Department
College of Education and Human Development, College of Arts and Sciences
Description
Dr. Rosalie Rolon-Dow (School of Education), Dr. Carol Wong (School of Education) and Dr. Lynn Worden (Human Development and Family Sciences), together with Dr. Jill Flynn (English Education), Dr. Deborah Bieler (English Education) and Dr. Hannah Kim (History & Social Studies Education), formed The Collaborative to Diversify Teacher Education at the University of Delaware. As a group, they conducted a study titled, “Diversifying Teacher Education at A Predominantly White Institution: A Public Scholarship Framework”. The study has been published as a White Paper and a book chapter.
The White Paper describes the findings and implications of a mixed-methods study to explore how teacher education programs at the University of Delaware (UD) understand and address the demographic imperative challenge, and to identify strengths and weaknesses in our recruitment and retention of students from groups that are historically underrepresented in terms of access to and successful completion of teacher education programs.
As a diverse group of teacher education faculty members from across the UD community, they conducted interviews, focus groups, surveys, and institutional data analysis during the 2012-2013 academic year. The data revealed that the graduation gap between low-income and non low-income teacher education students was twice that of the overall University of Delaware student population. The study also showed that teacher education students worried about teacher salaries, the financial costs of an undergraduate education, and the extra burden of teacher education fees, such as those for teacher certification exams. Other results indicated that participants were not aware of campus resources and had concerns about the public perceptions of teaching and UD’s racial environment. Findings suggest that improving the campus climate, advocating for the teaching profession as a whole, and centrally coordinating and supporting outreach and support efforts are essential steps in addressing the demographic imperative at the University of Delaware.
Contact
Rosalie Rolón-Dow
Associate Professor, School of Education
213D Willard Hall | 302-831-4336 | rosa@udel.edu
Carol Wong
Associate Professor, School of Education
103D Willard Hall | 302-831-4110 | cawong@udel.edu
Lynn Worden
Associate Professor & Early Childhood Education Student Teacher Coordinator
Department of Human Development and Family Studies
107 Alison Hall West | 302-831-1922 | worden@udel.edu
Helpful Links
- Flynn, J., Bieler, D., Kim, H., Dow, R.R., Worden, L., and Wong, C (2014). Diversifying teacher education at a predominantly white institution: A public scholarship framework. In C. M. Sleeter, L.I. Neal, & K.K. Kumashiro (Eds.) Addressing the Demographic Imperative: Recruiting, Preparing and Retaining a Diverse and Highly Effective Teaching Force. New York: Routledge.
- Rosalie Rolón-Dow’s Faculty Biography Page
- Carol Wong’s Faculty Biography Page
- Lynn Worden’s Faculty Biography Page