Teacher Education, Diversity, and Community Engagement in Liberal Arts Colleges

"In an era in which alternative certification, increased state regulation, and high-stakes testing impinge on effective teacher education, Lucy W. Mule provides us with a positive and convincing perspective on the potential of teacher education to prepare teachers for diverse classrooms. Drawing on work carried out in the education programs of small liberal arts colleges, Mule describes how student engagement in community partnerships contributes to preservice teachers' ability to recognize, respond to, and become a part of diverse approaches to living and learning."---Lisa Smulyan, Swarthmore College

Teacher Education, Diversity, and Community Engagement in Liberal Arts Colleges examines issues related to preparing new teachers to work in multicultural schools. This book emphasizes the transformational power of community engagement to teacher education in small liberal arts colleges. Lucy W. Mule carefully considers relevant literature and reflects on real-world practice. Her work underscores how a community-engaged approach to teacher education, emphasizing deep relationships with culturally diverse communities, community-based pedagogy, and a consideration of institutional contexts, can have a profound and lasting impact on teaching and learning. Teacher educators, preservice teachers, and policy-makers will find Teacher Education, Diversity, and Community Engagement in Liberal Arts Colleges an excellent resource guide for purposeful change and transformation.

Lucy W. Mule is associate professor in the Department of Education and Child Study at Smith College.