How do we recruit strong and diverse teachers who are committed to teaching in complex, underfunded schools? How do we prepare them, both in terms of their skills and mindsets, to feel responsible for reaching and teaching all of the learners in their classrooms? And how do we prepare them to be capable and confident enough that they feel…

I teach in a multiple subject credential program that requires all preservice teachers to complete a course specifically focused on arts curriculum and instruction. Based on my experiences in other credential programs throughout California, arts curriculum and instruction is often combined with another content area like social studies. My arts…

Culture, class, and language are significant social markers that impact classrooms today with challenges in educating teachers to become culturally responsive and competent. This article presents a theoretical approach on the preparation of bilingual teacher candidates and how the literature can inform teacher education programs on developing…

Effectively engaging students in mathematics discourse is challenging, especially in a language other than the one in which you learned mathematics. Teachers must manage the academic as well as social function of language. In Spanish-English bilingual classrooms in the U.S., changing the language of instruction to Spanish may not be enough to…

This article describes the author's experience as President of the California Council on Teacher Education (CCTE) from 2004-2006, which began under difficult conditions due to her daughter's terminal illness. The author shares her story of how the organization supported her during this difficult time, which she feels is representative of the…

Public education has worked to address the needs of all students with disabilities, although it has been a gradual process. The most pivotal change in public education for students with disabilities in general education classrooms dates to the implementation of the federal law, Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, which is now known…