At the Crossroads: Pre-service Teachers, Community Mentors, and the Dialectic

Abstract

Perennial calls to increase parent engagement in underserved schools often overlook how classroom teachers are prepared for school-family partnerships. Transformative school-family partnerships require transformative teachers, teacher educators, and preparation programs that rise to the occasion. This dissertation is presented in three articles and investigates the following: 1) the literature around family and community based partnerships with teacher education programs, 2) a series of small group discussions in one university-based secondary teacher education program, and 3) the experiences of community mentors partnering with the teacher education program. Using a critical theory of the dialectic as well as a narrative theory of identity, the author found implications for differentiating the development of critical consciousness among pre-service teachers. Findings also highlight both strengths and challenges for community mentors of Color engaged in intimate discussions with a predominantly white cohort of pre-service teachers.