(Re)defining “good teaching”: Teacher performance assessments and critical race theory in early childhood teacher education

Abstract

Using three tenents of Critical Race Theory, this study examines the influence of edTPAs on diverse early childhood pre-service teachers in a graduate program. Findings suggest that (1) Color-blind admissions policy and practice were at odds with edTPA’s perceived academic language demands; (2) A tension emerged between financial demands of edTPA and the constraints of immigrant and linguistically diverse students; and (3) edTPA rubrics and requirements required students of color to write and rewrite their teaching selves to match the external standard.