CHALLENGING OLD ASSUMPTIONS - PREPARING TEACHERS FOR INNER-CITY SCHOOLS

The demographics of urban schools in the United States with large numb ers of poor children of color pose challenges for teacher educators, s ince the teaching profession is predominantly white and middle class. An analysis of journals and essays from an elementary teacher educatio n course shows white prospective teachers' changing views about inner city schools with children of color. The article argues that fieldwork in these schools, when coupled with appropriate readings and discussi ons, offers possibilities for intervention in challenging prospective teachers' views of teaching in these contexts. (C) 1997 Elsevier Scien ce Ltd.