Abstract

Many scholars agree that teacher training is crucial for guaranteeing an inclusive school for all and, in particular, for preparing teachers working in urban areas and with diverse students. In this article I present an ethnographic study carried out in Los Angeles within a Teacher Education Program (TEP) aimed at training teachers working in urban schools. The purpose of the study, whose methodological approach I term «critical ethnography», was to single out and explore those factors which are considered most central for successful training both by the training program itself and by the teachers who participated in it. Our data show that the most important factor by far is the political and ideological commitment of the program and of the teachers. The experience, knowledge and personal skills of the teachers are also im portant, but less than their commitment to promote social equality and social change. Finally, the transferability of these findings to the Italian situation is discussed.