Chapter 27: Preparing Teachers Across Boundaries: An Immigrant and Migrant Community Center's Impact on Teacher Preparation

This chapter is a descriptive case of boundary-spanning work between University of Hawaii at Manoa’s (UHM) College of Education (COE) teacher preparation programs and a community center, Waipahu Safe Haven Immigrant/Migrant Resource Center (WSH). While not traditionally a component of teacher preparation, community partnerships are now at the core of some programs. The unique and innovative boundary-spanning partnership between UHM COE and WSH positively impacted teacher candidates’ pedagogy, perceptions, and understandings of the students and community in which they work. Teacher candidates were provided an authentic, multicultural learning space beyond school room walls and exposed to English Learner challenges and solutions. This partnership additionally impacted WSH’s community members through educational opportunities and products developed for the Center. This chapter will inform readers of the possibilities, complexities, and impacts of a progressive university-community center partnership on its stakeholders, which include development of empathy, understanding one’s biases, and the importance of a shared philosophy.