Empowering Bedouin Arab female teachers through the classroom academy community model

This study investigates the transformative potential of the Classroom Academy Community (CAC) model for Arab-Bedouin female preservice teachers in southern Israel – a population situated at the intersection of persistent socioeconomic marginalization, linguistic inequality, and cultural transition. Drawing on in-depth semi-structured interviews with 25 third-year students, the research explores how clinical partnerships shape participants’ sense of agency, belonging, and professional legitimacy within an Indigenous minority context. The findings reveal that the CAC framework functions as a critical scaffold, enabling participants to navigate the tensions between traditional community norms and professional aspirations. Through this model, preservice teachers developed innovative, emotionally responsive pedagogies and constructed resilience via collective support networks. By centering the narratives of Bedouin women, this study contributes to the global discourse on minority teacher education, demonstrating how structured, community-engaged partnerships can serve as effective mechanisms for fostering social empowerment and advancing educational equity in marginalized communities.