Teacher Education at Hispanic-Serving Institutions

Book excerpt: Documenting the collaborative work of staff at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley over the course of several years, this text explores the many ways in which teachers and faculty must engage with the institutional designation of Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). In doing so, the volume illustrates how colleges of education might provide Latinx students with the education, support, and environment they require to thrive. As the number of HSIs continues to grow, this text provides much needed insight into how colleges and universities can better enact their HSI status. Chapters document the practices and experiences of faculty as they look to increase family engagement, utilize social and cultural values to inform instruction, and acknowledge historically institutionalized legacies of oppression and marginalization. By highlighting the successes and challenges associated with serving Latinx students, the text draws out the ways in which teacher education and development might be structured at an HSI, in order that the institutional identity is reflected in curricula, pedagogy, scholarship, and community engagement. The text also explains important distinctions between HSIs and other minority serving institutions and illustrates the importance of HSIs to Latinx students. This text will be of great interest to graduate and postgraduate students, researchers, academics, libraries, professionals and policy makers in the field of higher education, multicultural education, educational leadership, teacher education and Race & Ethnicity Studies.