This study shares the perspectives of current elementary education teacher candidates with field and/or internship experiences in Title I schools. It provides some insight into the points of view of these teacher candidates who are able to inform teacher preparation programs about working with students from impoverished backgrounds. There is value in deeply understanding what teacher candidates believe they need to effectively meet the academic needs of students from low-income backgrounds. For this study, elementary education teacher candidates and elementary education faculty participants engaged in an in-depth semi-structured interview; teacher candidates conducted photovoice activities; and provided demographic data. In addition, a document analysis of course syllabi was completed to understand how this particular college of education was preparing prospective teachers for teaching in Title I school settings. A qualitative research design was used to study and present how elementary teacher candidates perceived their teacher preparation in regards to preparing them to teach in Title I or high-poverty schools. In addition, the research was designed to: a)impart the perspectives of what current elementary teacher candidates feel it takes to be prepared to enter the Title I classroom and b)inform teacher preparation programs about reforms to better meet the needs of current and future teacher candidates. The findings of this study revealed that their traditional teacher preparation program lacked training teacher candidates to teach Title I students. Themes emerged in this study that included media, race, and Title I students' limited experiences. In addition, teacher candidates shared general perceptions of teacher preparation, what is working in their teacher preparation program, and what is missing in their teacher preparation program in regards to preparing them to teach students in Title I schools. Recommendations for teacher education included modifying field experiences, training of faculty focused on poverty and social justice, recruitment of minority teacher candidates, and including content in teacher preparation programs focused on Title I schools. The voices of teacher candidates might provide colleges of education with ideas that may strengthen their current teacher preparation programs and prepare candidates to work with students in Title I schools. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]