Business as usual? Race and Teacher Education in uncertain times

COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted racial inequalities in a number of public facing services/institutions. The pandemic and its impact on minoritized communities and the global events following the death of George Floyd in the USA has led to revived calls for cultural and organisational change as well as for ‘culturally competent’ services/practice which is cognisant of, responsive to and that which challenges racism. Despite concerns raised in the  Race Disparity Audit (2017)  and evidence of structural and systemic inequality in health, employment, the criminal justice system and housing, there appears to have been very little discussion of how such inequalities are impacting teacher education curricula or the preparation of beginner teachers.  This seminar focusses on the education and training of beginner teachers (university and school-based) and examines the question: How are teacher educators developing curricula and practice related to the racial inequalities exposed highlighted through COVID 19 and BLM?

Dr Christine Callender is an Associate Professor in Education at UCL Institute of Education, London. She is a departmental Inclusion Lead and the Faculty Lead on the BME Awarding Gap. She has taught in a number of schools, colleges and in the higher education sector for over 20 years. Christine has supported schools and has undertaken consultancies nationally and internationally. Christine is the co-convenor of the BELMAS Race and Leadership Research Interest Group and her research and publications are in the areas of race, equality and diversity in teacher education, the experiences of BME males in teaching, race and leadership and the use of critical race theory as a theoretical, methodological and analytic lens for examining race in education.