Equity in Teacher Education Programs: A Systematic Review of Conceptions and Program-Level Efforts

This systematic review examines how equity is conceptualized, operationalized, and prioritized within teacher education programs in the United States. Recognizing the critical role teacher education programs play in shaping preservice teachers’ understandings of systemic oppression and their capacity to advance educational equity, this review critically examines the structures and strategies through which equity is enacted. By analyzing a broad set of empirical studies on programmatic reforms, this review identifies key patterns in the design and implementation of equity-oriented efforts. Based on these findings, the review proposes an emerging typology of equity approaches in teacher education programs that range from surface-level commitments and symbolic representations to discrete efforts and systemic approaches. The paper concludes by identifying critical directions for future research that attend to methodology, conceptual clarity, and an explicit engagement with racial justice to more effectively advance equity in teacher education.