What Makes a Teacher Education Program Relevant Preparation for Teaching Diverse Students in Urban Poverty Schools?
Urban teachers need a set of attributes that enable them to connect with children and youth in poverty and to function in dysfunctional school districts. The Milwaukee Teacher Education Center’s (MTEC’s) urban mission is to prepare educators to teach in the real world classroom of urban schools. For example, teachers are prepared to work toward implementing the stated philosophy of the Milwaukee Public Schools, which espouses goals of multiculturalism and equity. Teachers learn the importance of helping diverse children in poverty learn and achieve. They are prepared as learners, assuming that it takes 3 years of on-the-job training to become a fully functioning urban teacher, and that professional growth must be ongoing. They are prepared to: (1) remain in teaching; (2) integrate computers into teaching; (3) work with parents; (4) motivate students; (5) de-escalate school violence; (6) integrate several subject matters into problem-solving units; (7) offer social justice curriculum; a
