Vol. 10 No. 1 (2021)

The 2021 issue of Educational Renaissance presents three research articles, one feature article and an essay. Each with a view of the future of teacher preparation drawn from recent changes in our world. Special Education Teachers in Residence: New Teachers for the Prairie by Bock, Caballero, and O’Neal-Hixson and Maintaining Fidelity in Teacher Education Programs During COVID-19 by Dague, Graham, and Kim offer specific help and hope for a world after 2021. Johnson & Jones explore an emerging sub-group of California special education teachers in Special Educator Self-Efficacy: The Impact of Training and Experience.  Whether it’s understanding how we deal with the the special education teacher shortage, what works when creating an effective special education teacher residency online, or reflecting on the drastic move to online after March 2020, these authors provide insightful reflection and specific actions.

The second, and equally important focus is on race and our influence on teacher preparation. In Cradle-to-Prison Pipeline: Impact on Black, Hispanic, and Native Indigenous Students, Singleton writes a powerful essay on the phenomenon, and overwhelming effect of the cradle-to-prison pipeline. And finally, Perceptions and Understandings of Low Literacy Among Developing Teacher Candidates by Baugher and Singleton give voice to struggles that often marginalized populations combat on their road to success in literacy.