Recruiting, Preparing, and Retaining Teachers for Urban Schools

Book excerpt: How can the "revolving door" at the nation's high-poverty schools be slowed down? How can diversity be taught in teacher preparation that relates to teaching and learning? How can teachers learn to use the diverse urban classroom as a rich asset? By focusing on reconceptualizing general education studies, addressing key urban understanding and abilities throughout the professional program, implementing multiyear induction programs, and integrating outstanding veteran urban teachers, the authors of this volume take an affirming look at preparing teachers for the complexities of urban teaching. They candidly present lessons from a variety of urban settings for attracting, preparing, and supporting teachers who are both caring and qualified. The book contains the following chapters: (1) The Urban Context and Urban Schools (Kenneth R. Howey); (2) Sociocultural Strategies for Recruiting Teachers Into Urban Classrooms (Elizabeth C. Rightmyer, Ann E. Larson); (3) Urban Immersion: A Prototypical Early Clinical Immersion Experience (Andrea J. Stairs); (4) Recruiting, Preparing, and Retaining Urban Teachers: One Person's View From Many Angles (Michael J. Froning; (5) UWM's Collaborative Teacher Education Program for Urban Communities and the Pursuit of Program Coherence (Marleen D. Pugach, Hope Longwell-Grice, Alison Ford); (6) Professional Development of Reading Teachers: Biography and Context (William E. Blanton, Alison Shook, Anne Hocutt, Adriana Medina, Jeanne Schumm; (7) Growing Teacher Leadership in the Urban Context: The Power of Partnerships (Elizabeth MacDonald, Dennis Shirley); (8) Voices From the City: The Patrick Henrey High School Residency Program (Sharon Cormany Ornelas, Particia Thornton); and (9) Retaining Highly Effective Teachers in an Urban School District: Challenges and Opportunities (Vivian Gunn Morris, Allan D. Sterbinsky).