HBCUs to the Rescue: Utilizing Service-Learning Pedagogy to Improve Teacher Preparation in Early Childhood Education

Abstract

Teacher education programs are under intense scrutiny regarding the effective preparation of teachers. Specifically, research shows teachers are not prepared for the diversities present in today's classrooms. As the largest producers of minority teachers, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) play an important role in finding effective strategies to inform teacher preparation in early childhood education. Quality early childhood educational experiences are important for all children, but especially important for minority and poor children who are less prepared academically due to social and economic factors. Because HBCUs historic missions of civic engagement and social justice align effortlessly with service learning, a pedagogy that has shown to be an effective strategy in improving teacher preparation, HBCUs are in a unique position to add to the discourse surrounding teacher preparation gaps in early childhood education.