Julie A. Dinsmore

Preparing for Democracy and Diversity: The Impact of a Community-based Field Experience on Preservice Teachers' Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes.

Abstract This article presents a study undertaken by members of a college of education which, responding to a state mandate doubling the number of field experience hours required of preservice teachers, created a field experience wherein students work in community-based human service agencies. Perceptions of students, agency personnel, and education faculty, elicited through survey and interview data, focused on the growth in attitudes, knowledge, and skills developed by preservice teachers through this field experience. Data indicate this experience fosters the goals of the College of Education and that those directly involved, preservice teachers and community agency personnel value the experience, while college faculty who are less directly involved perceive it to be less effective. Connections are established to the literature on service-learning and teacher education in a diverse society. Recommendations for the program and further research are presented.

The diversity cohort—a professional development program for college faculty

Abstract Colleges of education nationwide are recognizing the need to offer training that supports college faculty in their work with increasingly diverse classroom populations. Another secondary, but also critically important benefit, is that faculty members can share their newfound knowledge, skills, and attitudes with their students— prospective and practicing teachers who are also working with an increasingly diverse group of students in the K‐12 setting. This article reports findings from a qualitative study that investigated the effect of a three‐semester‐long diversity cohort experience. Participants in the diversity cohort included college of education, arts and sciences, and K‐12 educators. The findings of the study provide glimpses of the following three key change/diversity‐training factors identified in the review of literature: (a) readiness for change, (b) community building, and (c) utilization of adult learning principles.

A Bucket of EELS A Tripartite Approach to Renewing a Teacher Education Program

This article describes a systematic overhaul of a teacher preparation program and presents outcomes based on studies of the program’s effectiveness in improving the knowledge and skills of teacher educators—university and PK-12 based—related to technology, diversity, and democratic education. The renewal program was peer designed and implemented over a 5-year cycle of 3 intact cohorts composed of education and arts & sciences university faculty and PK-12 colleagues simultaneously engaged in revising the scope, sequence, and content of a teacher education program. Presurveys and postsurveys indicate that nearly all of the instructional objectives were met and that participants made significant gains in their knowledge and skills related to the 3 target areas. Lessons learned in the process and implications for similar renewal efforts are offered.

Becoming Confident in Addressing Client Spiritual or Religious Orientation in Counseling: A Grounded Theory Understanding

The process of how counselors develop confidence in addressing the spiritual or religious orientation of the client during therapy was explored using a qualitative, grounded theory framework. Results suggest that developing this confidence, as well as avoiding pitfalls when incorporating spirituality or religious orientation in the therapeutic process, are shaped by the counselors personal spiritual journey. Formative factors include having opportunities to socially construct knowledge and skill, the level of reverence and respect for spirituality, and the degree of internal drive on the part of the counselor to become more confident. Implications of these findings for counselor practice are discussed.

The Platte River Corridor Project: A University/K-12 Collaboration to Meet the Needs of Latino Students.

This article discusses the development and impact of the Platte River Corridor Project, a successful university/K-12 partnership designed to address the inequality in learning outcomes for Latino students by increasing the effectiveness of K-12 classroom teachers in educating Latino English Language Learner (ELL) students and by facilitating access to higher education for Latino students. The project includes components that train K-12 educators, provide financial and social support for Latino students to attend college, provide ELL resources to school systems, and establish a regional teacher information network. Assessment data specific to each program component is provided. Challenges and recommendations are included for others who may be interested in creating a similar project.