There is growing concern that the California school system is failing to ensure equity and excellence for all students. This research sought to understand the perceptions of teacher educators at a California public university in the Central Valley with regards to what they believe multiple-subject preservice teachers need to know, be able to do, and have a disposition towards to ensure equity and excellence in today's diverse classrooms. The design of the study used a qualitative interpretivist approach via semi-structured interviews, observation, and document analysis. Teacher educators perceived that multiple-subject preservice teachers need to know Teacher Performance Expectations, need to reflect on their practices, assess students, provide collaborative and hands-on activities for learning, and have a disposition that fosters personal relationships with students including having high expectations, advocating and empathizing with students, and establishing a sense of community both in and out of the classroom. Interpretive analysis of participant responses resulted in the following themes: compliance mentality, dysconscious perceptions of deficit, racial erasure, and hidden curriculum. [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.]