Portraits of Anti-racist Alternative Routes to Teaching in the U.S.

Conra D. Gist, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Arkansas and holds a Ph.D. in Urban Education at the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center. Her research agenda integrates two key areas of study—racial/ethnic teacher diversity and teacher development—and takes an interdisciplinary approach to explore how culturally responsive pedagogy, critical social theories, and African American history intersect to produce just and transformative teaching and learning possibilities. She started her teaching career in Brooklyn, NY as a fourth grade teacher and currently serves as Principal Investigator for the Teacher Testimony Project, an initiative that challenges the silencing of Teachers of Color through the development and featuring of teacher testimonies. As a 2016 Spencer/National Academy of Education Postdoctoral Fellow, she is also Principal Investigator for a national study examining the experiences of Black Teachers in Grow Your Own Programs.

• List of Illustrations – List of Tables – Conra D. Gist: Teacher Development for Community, Justice and Visionaries – Rachelle Rogers-Ard: Teach Tomorrow in Oakland: Combating Cultural Isolation and Revolving Doors for Teachers of Color – La Vonne I. Neal /Sarah Militz-Frielink: Teach Tomorrow in Oakland Commentary – Reyes L. Quezada / Ernesto Ruiz: Former Children of Migrant Farmworkers: A “Secret” Pipeline for Growing Your Own Bilingual and Bicultural Teachers in California – Belinda Bustos Flores: California Mini-Corps Commentary – Kate Van Winkle: Grow Your Own (GYO) Illinois—Creating Teachers and Community Leaders – Nicholas Michelli: GYO Illinois Commentary – Josephine Pham / Rita Kohli: Cultivating Teachers of Color as Change Agents: A Model of Critical Race Professional Development – Ana Maria Villegas: Institute for Teachers of Color (ITOC) Committed to Racial Justice Commentary – Conra D. Gist: Reimagining Teacher Development – Contributor Biographies.

"Given the ongoing debate regarding alternative teacher preparation, Gist challenges traditional teacher preparation with exemplars of routes that have successfully recruited, prepared, and retained underrepresented teachers committed to social justice. For each route presented in the chapters, commentaries are uniquely provided to extend the conversation. This volume will assist teacher educators in developing a vision of new possibilities without compromising our commitment to educational and social justice."—Belinda Bustos Flores, Ph.D., Professor & Associate Dean of Professional Preparation, Assessment, & Accreditation, University of Texas at San Antonio