This book asks whose histories, knowledges, struggles, sorrows, joys, dreams, and expertise matter in teacher education and teacher residencies. It conceives of teacher residencies as a space for the multiplicity of voices and experiences needed to create opportunities for more democratic education and explores how this might be achieved despite the ways in which schools have become both more politicized and standardized in recent years. It argues that this work will not happen in silos but in community. As such, it showcases residency programs and program providers that have embraced a critical turn in residency work, as well as the voices and perspectives of critical community co-conspirators and the youth being served. Chapters examine geo-socio-historical and political contexts, the democratic and participatory nature of residency work, critical theoretical frameworks, and learning as liberation.

Advocating for a critical turn in teacher residency programming and research, this book provides research interventions, practical tools, and residency models that emphasize criticality in teacher preparation. It offers valuable insights for researchers interested in democratizing teacher education.