“Let’s Create the Table”: Reengaging Democracy in Teacher Preparation Through Radical Reciprocity

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Background/Context: Scholars have long critiqued the antidemocratic forces at work in education, advocating for a more equitable, liberating, and democratic vision of schooling, with teacher education taking on a central role. Mainstream teacher preparation obstructs democratic education, as evidenced by the failure to disavow and dismantle white supremacy, the jettisoning of commitments to social justice, and a disregard for communities and community expertise, particularly Black, Indigenous, and people of color and low-income communities. Purpose: Through cogenerative dialogue between university faculty and community colleagues, we offer a case of community-engaged teacher preparation in our community to demonstrate both the tenets and the power of this approach. Centering the voices, values, and dreams of the communities within which educators work is essential if we are to reclaim the democratic promise of schooling. Research Design: Contextualized within the scholarship on democratic praxis, this conceptual piece elaborates on and elevates radical reciprocity enacted between communities and universities as a compelling and justifiable direction for the field of educator preparation. Conclusion: The authors argue that the only way to realize the democratic possibilities of public education is to commit to community-engaged teacher preparation. This hyperlocal, community-responsive, and sustaining approach can equitize traditional imbalances of power, creating a more dynamic and democratic educational landscape, both inside and outside of schools.