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"I Thought I Was Prepared!" Meeting The Challenges Of Diversity In High-Need, High-Potential Schools, Eunjoo Jung, Maureen Angell, Marilyn Moore, Lance Lippert, Stephen Hunt, Bent Simonds

Eunjoo Jung

This article reports descriptive findings of a qualitative investigation of early-career teachers' perceptions of their preparedness to teach diverse learners in high-need, high-potential urban schools. Interviews revealed new teachers' insights into their teacher preparation programs and the challenging expectations involved in teaching diverse learners. When these early-career teachers took on their first jobs, they thought that they were prepared, but they found out that they were not quite ready for what they encountered; several said that they were in for a "culture shock." Teachers also provided suggestions regarding how teacher education programs can better prepare prospective teachers to meet the …