Section archive - Mentoring & Supervision

Cultural competency was studied in this article which examined two major questions: Can a 15-month graduate level intensive alternative licensing program and field experience provide preservice teachers with the knowledge and dispositions to teach in culturally competent ways? Is it possible for a teacher preparation institution, through an alternative education program, to provide culturally competent teachers? The qualitative and quantitative results of the study demonstrated that students do perceive that they have attained the knowledge and the experience to interact appropriately with culturally diverse populations. The article describes the critical need for teachers, and the challenges faced by the mostly white middle-class teachers' population. Those challenges of recruitment, retention and nurturing have led to alternative teacher preparation programs that address the current multicultural and demographically diverse students. The author advocates exploring the influence of experience on practice in classrooms where there is an increasingly diverse student population.