The edTPA as a Barrier to Preparing Antiracist Teachers in California

Abstract

This paper explores the policy, pedagogy, and practice affordances and constraints of teacher education as an environment to develop pre-service teachers’ antiracism commitments. Through critical analysis of interviews with pre-service teachers and teacher educators at three social justice-oriented teacher preparation programs, research findings indicate that the material consequences of passing the edTPA can lead pre-service teachers to deprioritize the antiracist or equitable frameworks that were emphasized in their program. The edTPA’s inattention to racism and antiracist practice signals an irrelevance to some pre-service teachers. These findings have implications for how teacher educators may approach the edTPA in social justice-oriented programs.