ABSTRACT
Students who are growing up in poverty experience daily struggles with unsafe and unstable living conditions, food insecurity, limited access to clean water, and a lack of basic learning resources that other students take for granted. Star teachers keep one eye on the present and have the other on the future. This means that they plan and teach with short- and long-term goals in mind. Star teachers see the children sitting in front of them and understand the strengths and challenges that they bring to the educational enterprise. To empower someone means to enable them to take action. Star teachers empower learners. A well-prepared and diverse teaching force is good for all students. Teacher preparation programs and school districts must do better. They must prepare and continue to develop teachers who understand how social structural inequality operates in our country, who are excellent teachers for all students, and who are committed to a more just and equitable world.
