Fighting on All Fronts: The Push, Pull, and Persistence of Social Justice Educators and the Move to Reimagine Teacher Preparation

Caddo Gap Press. 3145 Geary Boulevard PMB 275, San Francisco, CA 94118. Tel: 415-666-3012; Fax: 415-666-3552; e-mail: caddogap@aol.com; Web site: http://www.caddogap.com

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Social Justice; Teacher Educators; Educational Change; Teacher Education; Urban Schools; Elementary School Teachers; Secondary School Teachers; Teacher Persistence; Career Change; School Restructuring; Job Layoff; Teacher Attitudes; Faculty Development; Professional Autonomy; Teacher Administrator Relationship

0737-5328

This study investigated the factors that pushed and pulled social justice educators out of urban elementary and secondary (K-12) schools and into teacher education. The authors utilized an autoethnography and counternarrative methodology to examine the systemic and distinct factors that impacted four social justice educators' decisions to leave K-12 schools. Two central categories emerged: neoliberal K-12 push factors and pull factors that lured educators into academia. The study also revealed K-12 persistence strategies and describes the way educators reimagine their work in teacher education. It is imperative to learn how educators are maintaining their commitment to social justice on all fronts.

As Provided

2020

EJ1263349