Perceptions of teacher preparation for classroom diversity

Preparing P-12 educators to effectively teach and support diverse learners is increasingly critical. Cultural competence training and experiences in teaching diverse learners are essential components of teacher preparation, yet often new educators report feeling under prepared, and the characteristics of today’s P-12 students continues to vary greatly compared to teacher demographics. This secondary data analysis explored new teachers' perceptions regarding their preparation for teaching diverse learners. The dataset was derived from survey responses from teacher program graduates, those same graduates after one year of teaching, and their supervisors who responded to standards-based, four-point Likert surveys. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to examine results longitudinally and comparatively. Results indicated that preservice teachers might not be as prepared as they originally thought they were after facing diverse classroom realities. Yet, these first-year teachers’ supervisors perceive a statistically significant higher level of preparedness than the teachers claim. Reasons for the decline in perception of preparedness and difference of ratings are explored; suggestions are offered for continuous improvement of educator preparation as well as for support of new teacher induction practices.