The potential of drawing from urban youth culture, and hip-hop more specifically, to serve as a bridge to the standard curriculum has been well documented. However, the richness and potential benefits of hip-hop are more far-reaching and present significant implications for teacher education and professional development efforts as well. This article draws from several sites including research conducted with a group of urban teachers, urban youth and hip-hop culture, and postmodernism to forward the notion of Representin'—a shared sense of identity and responsibility based on membership in a socially constructed community—as a valuable disposition to be developed by teachers. Using urban youth culture as a “fund of knowledge” in teacher education has the potential to improve teaching practices and positively influence learning opportunities and outcomes for urban youth of color.
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