Transforming Teacher Education

“Provocative, insightful, precise, and vital to our profession. Those whose lives intersect with teacher education will understand that this ‘must read’ text does more than merely encourage a transformative moment―it insists that a critical transformation is essential for the very survival of teacher education.”―David Whaley, Associate Dean and Director of Teacher Education, College of Human Sciences, Iowa State University

“This volume is the one of most comprehensive and deeply analytical works on teacher preparation to appear in decades. As a teacher educator, I deeply appreciate this thoughtful and critical examination of the issues, dilemmas, and trenchant problems of teaching and teacher education in America. This is a work well worth reading!”―Peter C. Murrell, Jr., Founding Dean, School of Education, and Professor of Educational Psychology, Loyola University Maryland

“Teachers, prospective teachers, educational planners, and policy-makers will all benefit from engaging this book. Hopefully they will engage the chapters with open minds, and begin to challenge ‘business as usual’ approaches to teacher education.” –Peter McLaren, University of California, Los Angeles

In this book, 12 distinguished scholars provide a hard-hitting, thoroughly researched, historical and theoretical critique of our schools of education, and offer clear recommendations on what must be done to ensure all children can achieve their potential, and contribute to a vibrant, democratic society.

Valerie Hill-Jackson is a Clinical Associate Professor at Texas A&M University in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Culture where she serves as a teacher educator. Her research interests include community and adult education. Dr. Hill-Jackson is a 2001-2002 AERA / Spencer fellow and received the national LEAD (poisoning) STAR award for her research in childhood lead poisoning in urban environments with African American mothers. She is also a Geraldine R. Dodge fellow for outstanding teaching and received the 2007 People Magazine / Maybelline, “Women Who Empower Through Education” award.

Chance W. Lewis is the Houston Endowment Inc., Endowed Chair and Associate Professor of Urban Education and the Co-Director of the urban education graduate program in the College of Education at Texas A&M University. Additionally, Dr. Lewis is the Co-Director of the Center for Urban School Partnerships at Texas A&M University. Dr. Lewis also serves as the Deputy Director for the Center of African American Research and Policy (CAARP) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During his career, Dr. Lewis has over 100 publications include over 50 refereed journal articles in some of the leading academic journals in the field of urban education and teacher education. Additionally, he has received over $4 million in external research funds to support his research. To date, Dr. Lewis has author/co-authored/co-edited 4 books: White Teachers/Diverse Classrooms: A Guide for Building Inclusive Schools, Eliminating Racism and Promoting High Expectations (Stylus, 2006), The Dilemmas of Being an African American Male in the New Millennium: Solutions for Life Transformation; An Educator’s Guide to Working with African American Students: Strategies for Promoting Academic Success (Infinity, 2008); and Transforming Teacher Education: What Went Wrong with Teacher Training and How We Can Fix It (Stylus, 2010). Finally, Dr. Lewis has provided consultative services (i.e., professional development and research services) to over 100 school districts and universities across the United States and Canada. Dr. Lewis can be reached by e-mail at chance.lewis@tamu.edu or via his website at http://www.chancewlewis.com

Peter McLaren isDistinguished Professor in Critical Studies at Attallah College of EducationalStudies, Chapman University and Chair Professor, Northeast Normal University,China. A political activist andaward-winning author, he has published 50 books in the areas of politicalsociology of education, critical pedagogy and liberation theology.