Innovative Teacher Preparation at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

Belinda Bustos Flores is Professor Emerita, Department of Bicultural-Bilingual Studies, and founder of the Academy for Teacher Excellence Research Center, College of Education and Human Development at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Dr. Flores’ numerous publications focus on teacher preparation and development. Dr. Flores has been recognized for her scholarship by various organizations, including the 2015 AERA Hispanic Research Issues SIG Elementary, Secondary, and Postsecondary Award and the 2019 AERA Bilingual Research SIG Lifetime Achievement Award.Ann Marie Ryan is Professor of Curriculum and Instruction in the Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Her research concentrates on the connections between teaching, learning, and policy in P-12 schools and communities over time, emphasizing teacher preparation, social studies, and education history.Patricia Sánchez, PhD, is Professor and Chair in the Department of Bicultural-Bilingual Studies at University of Texas at San Antonio. Dr. Sánchez—a first-generation college student—was born and raised along the El Paso-Juárez border in a bilingual Mexican immigrant home. In her research, Dr. Sánchez examines issues related to immigrant education, Latinx transnationalism, and the preparation of bilingual teachers; she has over 50 research publications in these areas.

More than a summary of one institution’s evolution, Innovative Teacher Preparation at a Hispanic-Serving Institution provides a vision for how to institutionalize transformative commitments in practice. The authors demonstrate what can happen when we stop tinkering and start reimagining. —Paul Gorski, co-author with Seema Pothini of Case Studies on Diversity and Social Justice Education, 3rd editionPaul C. Gorski, PhD, Founder, Equity Literacy Institute (gorski@equityliteracy.org)This book offers a powerful and timely reimagining of teacher preparation grounded in cultural efficacy, social justice, and community partnership. It moves beyond compliance to demonstrate how programs can cultivate educators as knowledgeable, community-based agents of change prepared to serve linguistically and culturally diverse learners with purpose and integrity. [It] speaks to the courage required to disrupt “business as usual” in teacher preparation. It honors the lived experiences of educators and communities while offering a thoughtful, research-grounded roadmap for transformation. I see in these pages a deep commitment to preparing teachers who lead with purpose, humility, and hope.Socorro Herrera, Professor, Executive Director of the Center for Intercultural and Multilingual Advocacy (CIMA), College of Education Kansas State UniversityInnovative Teacher Preparation at a Hispanic-Serving Institution: Juntos We Will Rise powerfully demonstrates how intentional, community-centered partnerships can transform educator preparation in high-need contexts. Bustos Flores, Ryan, Sánchez, and their collaborators show that enrolling Hispanic students is not enough—preparing culturally efficacious, teacher leaders requires purposeful design, deep collaboration with school districts, and a sustained commitment to equity and social justice.Grounded in Universal Design for Learning, community-based approaches, and faculty learning through pláticas and testimonios, this book offers a compelling model for building student-centered teacher residency programs with meaningful, year-long mentoring. A must-read for teacher educators, policymakers, and graduate students committed to reimagining educator preparation at both Hispanic-Serving and non-Hispanic-Serving institutions.Reyes L. Quezada, EdD, Professor & Co-Chair, Hispanic-Serving Institution Advisory CouncilUniversity of San Diego (rquezada@sandiego.edu)

• Foreword: Juntos, We Will Rise—Equity and Social Justice in Teacher Preparation (Christine E. Sleeter) Section I: Programmatic and Curricular Redesign: Meeting the Multidimensional Demands of 21st Century Teacher Preparation Belinda Bustos Flores and Ann Marie Ryan Chapter 1: Reconceptualizing and Reimagining Our Teacher Preparation Program: Challenging Business as Usual Belinda Bustos Flores, Ann Marie Ryan, and Patricia Sánchez Chapter 2: Revolutionizing Traditional Student Teaching to a Signature Teacher Residency Clinical Experience Lorena Claeys and Belinda Bustos Flores Chapter 3: Collaborative Interdisciplinary Curriculum Design Kristen Lindahl, Samuel DeJulio, and María Leija Chapter 4: Integrating Universal Design for Learning across Teacher Education to Support Students’ Learning Needs Yi-Fan Li, Ann Marie Ryan, Jennifer Gilardi Swoyer, Tiffany Farias-Sokoloski, and Dong-Yu Yang Section II: Clinical Innovation: Collaborating with Schools and Communities to Prepare Culturally Efficacious Teachers Belinda Bustos Flores and Ann Marie Ryan Chapter 5: Leveraging Teacher Residency Partnerships to Recruit and Retain High Quality Educators Jennifer Gilardi Swoyer and Tiffany Farias-Sokoloski Chapter 6: The Creation and Evolution of a Bilingual Education Residency Program: Growing and Preparing Culturally Efficacious Bilingual Education Teachers Claudia Treviño García, Gilberto P. Lara, Belinda Bustos Flores, Juanita Santos, and Helyde Torres Section III: Curricular and Pedagogical Innovation: Humanizing Teacher Preparation Ann Marie Ryan and Belinda Bustos Flores Chapter 7: The Riddle of the Middle: Lessons Learned in Redesigning Our Middle Grades Certification Pathways Marissa Aki’Nene Muñoz, Janis Harmon, and Crystal Kalinec-Craig Chapter 8: Platicando y Haciendo el Camino al Andar: Illuminating Bilingual Teacher Educator Praxis Gilberto P. Lara, Jorge L. Solís, and Talia Howard Section IV: Transformational Leaders as Agents of Change: Confronting Shifting Political Headwinds Ann Marie Ryan and Belinda Bustos Flores Chapter 9: Dual Transformation: Developing Cultural Efficacy and Teacher Leadership through a Mentored Yearlong Residency Monica Anguiano Chapter 10: Culturally Efficacious Transformative Leaders’ Testimonios on Revolutionizing a Teacher Preparation Program Belinda Bustos Flores, Ann Marie Ryan, Patricia Sánchez, and Kristen Lindahl Afterword: Ongoing Commitment to Innovate, Refine, and Strengthen Practices Conra D. Gist