Abstract
Teachers’ beliefs impact student outcomes. Yet, regulatory agencies look to standardized accountability measures to establish a base for student improvement. This study examines other qualitative factors that impact student success by exploring teacher candidates’ beliefs about what students should learn. Specifically, it examines the beliefs of teacher candidates who were enrolled in a course on teaching students with disabilities. Education Journey Maps and interview data were conducted with 24 teacher candidates. Analyzed through a conceptual framework of Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) and neoliberalism, results indicate that teacher candidates possess an economic habitus that seeks standardization, commodifiable skills, and individualism. Teacher candidates implicitly understand that human capacity and diversity are multifaceted but believe that holding the same standards for everyone will rid our education system of discrimination against people with disabilities. This work has implications for wider debates on the impacts of standardization and neoliberalism in teacher education.
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