Chapter 2: The Complexity of Promoting Social Justice and Cultural Competence in Teacher Education

Standard 2 for the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) Standards for Teacher Educators is Cultural Competence. This standard has 12 indicators. Standard 2 continues to be a key area for action within teacher education as students and families continue to experience disparities, bias, and marginalization within PK–12 schools. Often these inequities are connected to aspects of intersectional identities such as ethnicity, race, language, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. At times, schools end up perpetuating inequities for many students rather than promoting social justice. Teacher preparation programs are vital to facilitating the development of teacher candidates who have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that align with a social justice and culturally responsive approach to teaching (Mills & Ballantyne, 2016; Reagan & Hambacher, 2021; Reogman et al., 2021; Souto-Manning & Stillman, 2020). However, “while there is a compelling need for social justice-oriented teacher education, designing and implementing effective interventions in teacher education is a complex undertaking requiring professional expertise” (Kitchen & Taylor, 2020, p. 3).