In light of the fact that the majority of teachers are White, middle-class females, and schools are increasingly more diverse than the teaching population, it is essential that teachers are able to implement socially-just instruction. Consequently, this narrative inquiry examined the experiences of three student teachers and how they attempted to transfer socially-just teaching practice from a literacy methods course into student teaching. Data were collected between August 2010 and December 2010. Interviews, observations, field notes, and participant-generated blogs were the data collected during the study. Data were analyzed using an inductive coding process; this process resulted in the generation of themes about the experiences of the three participants which were explored via individual narratives. Common themes that emerged from data analysis as barriers to socially-just literacy included: classroom environment, relationship with cooperating teacher, literacy curriculum, and feelings about student teaching. Additionally, a conceptual framework Finn (2009) was used to provide deeper understanding of the participants' experiences in the narratives. The conceptual concepts explored in this study were: real vs. make-believe schools, high-status knowledge, and gatekeeping. The findings indicated that all three participants' experienced barriers and thus, none of the participants were able to implement socially-just literacy instruction. School type, curriculum and the relationship with the cooperating teacher were key factors in the results. In addition, the only participant to attempt socially-just literacy instruction was paired with a veteran cooperating teacher. Therefore, findings indicate strong implications for teacher education programs to interrogate program structure and the cooperating teachers who student teachers are working with. In addition, considerations regarding if the cooperating teachers and/or the school environments will promote socially-just educational opportunities for teacher candidates and if those experiences are congruent with the teacher education program. Additionally, peer and mentor relationships were also indicated as imperative to student teaching success. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]