This document summarizes the findings of a study on diversity in United States teacher education programs. It begins with background on the increasing diversity in U.S. schools and lack of diversity among teachers. The study examined teacher educators' beliefs about diversity through surveys and narratives. Quantitative results found educators value diversity but their experiences shape their perspectives. Qualitatively, experiences ranged from indirect like readings to direct engagement like tutoring. Challenges included preparing teachers for English language learners. Overall the research aims to enhance support for teaching diversity.

1. Michigan Reading Association Annual Conference
Lightning The Way For Literacy
Sue Ann Sharma, Ph.D. & Tanya S. Wright, Ph.D.
March 9, 2013
Diversity in United States Teacher
Education Programs in Literacy and
Reading: A Nationwide Investigative Study
International Reading Association, Learning Diversity Committee

2. Introduction

3. Racial/Ethnic Diversity in U.S. Schools

4. English Language Learners in U.S.
Schools

5. Racial/Ethnic Diversity of U.S.
Teachers
82.9
6.9
7.2
1.3 0.2
0.5 0.9
Percentage of U.S. Teachers by Racial/Ethnic
Diversity in 2007-2008
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Native Hawaiian/
Pacific Islander
American Indian/
Alaska Native

6. IRA Standard 4: Diversity
Candidates create
and engage their
students in literacy
practices that
develop awareness,
understanding,
respect, and a
valuing of
differences in our
society.

7. Studying Teacher Education:
AERA Report
• Teacher candidates are a homogenous population
with limited experience interacting with people from
different backgrounds to their own.
• Enter teacher prep programs with negative or deficit
attitudes about those who are different from
themselves.
• Limited evidence of whether activities aimed at
reducing prejudice have long-term results on the
instruction that teacher candidates provide.
Cochran-Smith, M. & Zeichner, K. (2005). Studying teachers education: The report of the American Education Research Association (AERA)
panel on research in teacher education. Lawrence Erlbaum, 7(3). 20-27.

8. Studying Teacher Education:
AERA Report
• Candidates placed in urban settings with diverse
students for field work gain more complex
understandings of cultural and experiential
differences than candidates in suburban settings.
• Teacher preparation programs are at different
points in preparing teacher candidates to address
diversity.
Cochran-Smith, M. & Zeichner, K. (2005). Studying teachers education: The report of the American Education Research Association
( AERA) panel on research in teacher education. Lawrence Erlbaum, 7(3). 20-27.

9. Teacher Education for Equity and
Democracy
Equitable Access Democratic Participation & Advocacy
for Equity
Recruit & admit More diverse teacher candidates Candidates committed to multicultural
democracy and equity
Early fieldwork In multiple classrooms,
Inquiry-based to disrupt deficit
theorizing,
In communities to learn culture of
students
Inquiry into school and community
patterns of inequity
Professional coursework Self-analysis,
Socio-cultural framework for teaching &
learning,
Teaching strategies linking what
students bring to academics
Strategies for building multicultural
democracy in classroom,
Nature of institutional discrimination in
society and schools
Student teaching In culturally diverse and/or low-income
schools, with plenty of time and support
In classrooms that support democratic
decision-making,
With teachers that model advocacy
stance
On-going professional development Practice-based inquiry with support Activist teacher networks
Sleeter, C. E. (2001). Preparing teachers for culturally diverse schools: Research and the overwhelming presence of whiteness.
Journal of Teacher Education, 52(2), 94-106.

10. Defining Diversity
The dimensions of
diversity range from
generic facets involving
race, culture, religion,
language, and gender
identity, including
differences related to
learning interests,
capabilities, and
disabilities.

11. Multicultural
Education
Teaching
Teacher
Educator
Dispositions
Theoretical Framework

12. Investigation Objective
How are literacy teacher
educators faring with IRA’s
Standard 4: Diversity?

13. Research Questions
• Question 1: What are the beliefs and values
teacher educators hold about diversity as it relates
to teacher preparation programs?(survey)
• Question 2: How do teacher educators describe
the experience they provide around diversity?
(narrative description)
• Question 3: What influences shape literacy
teacher educators’ teaching practices and
developing beliefs about literacy and learning?
(focus groups)

14. Methodology
Mixed-Methods
Quantitative
Logistic Regression
Modified Sign Tests
Bonferroni
Corrections
Qualitative
Constant Comparative
Method
Inter-Rater Reliability
Cronbach’s Alpha .83

15. Survey Distribution

16. Participant Demographics
Institution Student Profile Institution Location Profile

17. Data Sources
• Accreditation
Status
• NCATE
• Institution
Profile
• Student
Population
• Location
• Faculty
Profile
Part 1:
Institutional
Information
• Life
Experiences
• Childhood
• Adulthood
• Work Life
Part 2:
Faculty
Background
• Promotes
• Diversity
Knowledge
• Assessment
Understandings
• Field
experiences
Part 3:
Program Level
—
Undergraduate
& Graduate
• Provides
• Choice in
Addressing
Diversity
Issues
Part 4:
Course Level
—
Undergraduate
& Graduate
• Describe
Innovative
• Assignments
• Experiences
Narrative
Description

18. Research Question 1:
Quantitative Results
What are the beliefs and values
teacher educators hold about
diversity as it relates to teacher
preparation programs?

19. Value of Diversity in General Value With Regard to Specific
Areas of Diversity
Agreement
Disagreement
88.2
11.8
Agreement
Disagreement
Development of Diversity Awareness
Religion &
Sexual Orientation
Sign Test Analysis

20. Reality is Relative to Experiences
Strong
Logistic
Regression
Suburban
D=.95
Urban
Logistic Regression Analysis

21. IRA Standard 4: Diversity Valued by
Teacher Educators
Teacher Educators
Most Strongly Agreed
Institution of
Employment Values
Diversity
IRA Standard 4:
Diversity
P> .000000000000000000001
with Bonferroni Corrections
Modified Sign Tests

22. Instructional Practices Taught to
Support Learning Among Diverse
Students
Under
Graduate
Relevant
Curriculum
Differentiated
Instruction
Adapt
Approaches
for ELL
Graduate
(P<.000001)
Relevant
Curriculum
Differentiated
Instruction
Adapt
Approaches
for ELL
✔
✔
✔✔
✔
X

23. Coursework that Develops
Diversity Awareness
Curriculum
That Promotes
Diversity
Understanding
Complexity
of Learning
for ELL
Students
Awareness of
Responsibility
to Educate
About
Diversity
(p< .0001)

24. Research Question 2:
Qualitative Results
How do teacher educators
describe the experiences they
provide around diversity?

25. Participant Narrative Demographics
Institution Student Profile Institution Location Profile

26. Narrative Response
Response
Doesn’t
Answer the
Question
(13)
Direct
Engagement
(20)
Indirect
Engagement
(40)
Both Direct
& Indirect
Engagement
(16)
Cronbach’s alpha 0.833

27. Indirect Engagement
Multicultural
Literature
Observation of
Diverse Learners
Through Video
Readings
Focused on
Diversity
Cultural Studies
Planning Lessons
That Include
Responding to
Student Diversity

28. Indirect & Direct Engagement
Simulations
Reading
Disabilities
Language
Delays
Auditory
Challenges
Interpreting
Writing &
Reading
Errors

29. Direct Engagement
Tutoring
Students
Field
Placement
Family
Literacy
Events
Cultural
Studies
Interview
Project

30. Limitation
Low Number of
Survey
Respondents
N=201
Selection Bias

31. Conclusion
• Teacher educators value addressing diversity
• Demographics and location of teacher preparation
institutes influences one’s diversity lens
• Next Steps:
– Find Ways to learn exactly what is happening
and how it is enacted in the field
• Conduct focus groups by institution size
– Urban, Suburban, and Rural

32. Focus Group Questions
• Briefly describe your teacher candidate profiles and the
kinds of populations your teachers will serve.
• Describe the complexities that your teacher candidate face
when meeting the needs of diverse learners.
• Describe what you do to prepare teacher candidate to meet
the needs of diverse learners both at the program level and
the courses you teach.
• Describe what challenges you face in preparing teacher
candidate to met the needs of diverse learners.
• Specifically, can you speak to preparing teacher candidate
to meet the needs of ELL, religious and sexual orientation
and any other areas of diversity?
• What else would like to add to our discussion?

33. Educational Significance
• All students would benefit from higher education
programs that cultivate diversity and multiculturally
responsive teachers.
• This research is significant to the enhancement of
instructional support for the advancement of
teaching diversity.

34. Between Teacher and Child
I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the
decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal
approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily
mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I
possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life
miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an
instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In
all situations, it is my response that decides
whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated
and a child humanized or dehumanized.
Ginott, H. (1975). Teacher and child: A book for parents and teachers. New York, NY: Macmillan.

35. Acknowledgments
• International Reading
Association Committee for
Diversity of Learning
– Linda Akanbi, Ed.D.
– Susan Grogan, Ph.D.
– Abha Gupta, Ph.D.
– Wendy Kasten, Ph.D.*
– Julie Kidd, Ed.D.
– Sue Ann Sharma, Ph.D.*
– Diana Sisson, Ed.D.
– Lynn Smolen, Ph.D.
– Tanya Wright, Ph.D.
• Principal Investigators*
• Quantitative Analysis Team
– Yeaton Clifton, Ph.D.
– Sue Ann Sharma, Ph.D.
– Tanya Wright, Ph.D.
• Qualitative Analysis Team
– Abha Gupta, Ph.D.
– Julie Kidd, Ed.D.
– Nedra Cossa
– Heather West
– Wendy Kasten, Ph.D.
– Sue Ann Sharma, Ph.D.
• Literature Review Team
– Tanya Wright, Ph.D.
– Marliese Peltier
– Chad Waldron

37. Contact Information
Sue Ann Sharma, Ph.D. sa3sharm@oakland.edu
Tanya S. Wright, Ph.D. tswright@msu.edu
Presentation can be found online at www.slideshare.com

38. References
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