Creating poetic portraits allows scholars to communicate research findings in multidimensional and more accessible ways. The author explores womanist theory and two dimensions of portraiture research—context and voice—used to create poetic portraits about the experiences and practices of three Black women teacher educators. Research participants included Olivia, an assistant professor at a predominately White, comprehensive higher education institution; Tulip, an associate professor at a liberal arts and predominately Black higher education institution; and Tulani, an associate professor at a predominately Black research institution. Data were collected through interview, observation and shadowing, and document review to answer two research questions: In what ways do the participants’ experiences as outsiders-within inform their practices? and How does the theme of race uplift inform the participants’ pedagogy? Examples are presented of poetic techniques from research. The author discusses the use of poetry as a means for educational scholarship to influence wider audiences.

Creatively existing in this moment of lived experience. Conducting and documenting research That feels Black, woman, race, gender. Research that breathes individuality, hears context, and sees subjects Lives. Research that speaks. Aesthetic research for a living moment.Norman Denzin (2003) described this moment in qualitative inquiry as the "seventh moment" wherein notions of subjectivity, perspective, reflexivity, and "messy texts" are more transparent in the research process than in 16 Guest Editors' Note: The guest editors would like to thank Gloria Ladson-Billings for her guidance during this process and most especially, for encouraging us to submit our American Educational Research Association 2003 symposium papers for publication. We would also like to thank Professor Sarah Lawrence-Lightfoot for so graciously and generously agreeing to participate in this project. Her work has been and is a marvelous inspiration for us all and her presence looms very large. Finally, a sincere note of appreciation to Yvonna Lincoln, Norm Denzin, and the external reviewers for their insightful comments that pushed us to think outside the box and explore uncharted territory. We appreciate their support during this process.

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Paterson Teachers for Tomorrow (PT4T) is a collaborative project between the Paterson, NJ Public Schools and the College of Education at William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPUNJ), created to attract talented high school students from Paterson to careers in teaching, prepare them to be effective teaching professionals, and return them to the Paterson Public Schools. It is funded through donations from private foundations, local (NJ) businesses, and the WPUNJ foundation. This article provides an overview of the PT4T program. We offer a rationale for the PT4T program by highlighting the issue of recruitment and retention for urban schools, describing the collaboration between the city school district of Paterson, NJ and William Paterson University, and highlighting the demographics of the Paterson Public Schools. In this article, we also explain the structure, components, theoretical framework, and goals of PT4T; discuss our successes in the first and second years; and conclude with future directions. Recruitment and Retention for Urban Schools

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