Research Article

The M/M Center: Meeting the Demand for Multicultural, Multilingual Teacher Preparation

Pia Lindquist Wong, Harold Murai, Margarita Bérta-Ávila, Lisa William-White, Susan Baker, Adele Arellano, & Adriana Echandia
October 2007 | Teacher Education Quarterly

Published in the Teacher Education Quarterly, the authors perform an in-depth and holistic case study analysis of the Multilingual/Multicultural Teacher Preparation Center (M/M Center), a teacher preparation program offered by the Bilingual/Multicultural Education Department (BMED) at California State University, Sacramento. Through a review of graduate exit surveys, student work, student interviews, and anecdotal stories and accounts, this article asserts that the M/M Center prepares teachers to be change agents actively working towards social justice in low-income and culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms, schools, and communities. This article: (a) provides a theoretical framework that orients the authors' efforts to recruit and retain students of color and bilingual students, (b) details the history of the M/M Center, (c) highlights from their multiple and single subject programs, and (d) reflects on the M/M Center's accomplishments. By sharing details and analysis of the M/M Center, the authors hope to engage other social justice educators in critical reflection on effective practices in multicultural/multilingual teacher recruitment to and retention in teacher preparation programs.