Challenges in Studying the Impact of Integrated Approaches to Preparing Teachers for Diversity.

This paper reports on a study of the impact of an integrated teacher education program for diversity on two beginning teachers and considers the challenges involved in investigating the impact of such programs. The study examined four elementary school teachers in their first or second year of teaching who were working in schools that served high percentages of racial minority and low-income students. Two of the teachers graduated from a master's teacher education program, Teaching in Urban Contexts (TUC), which integrated attention to diversity throughout its courses and field experiences, while the other teachers were trained in programs that used a segregated approach to issues of diversity. Results suggest that the TUC program may have influenced its graduates' expectations for students, their approach to incorporating students' backgrounds into instruction, the extent to which they collaborated with colleagues, and their level of commitment to school renewal. The paper elaborates on teachers' expectations for students and the incorporation of student backgrounds into instruction. The paper also discusses three challenges in trying to determine the impact of integrated programs for diversity on teachers' practices: (1) that teachers are influenced by their beliefs and experiences as well as their formal preparation; (2) participants in the same program may be differentially affected by program components; and (3) findings from one program for diversity may not apply to other programs. (Contains 34 references.) (Author/SLD)