Culturally diverse educational settings can be challenging to navigate as participants in these settings risk misinterpreting others from different cultures. This article highlights six strategies school community members can use to foster positive cross-cultural interactions while exhibiting and modeling professional teacher dispositions: (1)…

The cultural view of disability presents the issue of disability from the perspective of group identity distinct from other groups who do not share the disability identity. This article attempts to articulate the importance of disability identity, culture, and acceptance while advocating for the inclusion of disability culture in the conversation…

This article describes a diverse style of teaching that can be adopted by school administrators and teachers who are interested in creating a school culture where success is nurtured using a community approach. This community approach of teaching is built on a pedagogy Lourie Davis developed and named Village Style Learning (VSL). This style of…

It has become increasingly apparent that incorporating international stories into the classroom is beneficial for young students. The stories provide vicarious experiences from different countries that help nurture a more tolerant and accepting generation of students. Through reading these stories students gain empathy and understanding for other…

One of the author's goals was to teach his students how to use an innovative instructional method with their future students to promote understanding of different cultures. He also wanted to increase their interaction with people from a culture different than their own, because his university is located in an area that lacks the cultural diversity…

Historically, American public schools played an important role in assimilating immigrants with different cultures into the mainstream. This process is currently occurring in other parts of the world that are undergoing demographic changes due to immigration. Some of these countries have turned to multicultural education as a tool to respond to…

Studies have often focused on promoting students' basic psychological needs to support their learning in K-12 education and even in college education, although less work has been performed to determine the ways in which the needs are fulfilled in graduate school education. The current study examined reports by 11 graduate students who were…

A comprehensive body of literature has focused on White teachers working in high-poverty schools (Emdin, 2016; Ullucci, 2011) as well as White teachers working with students of color (Brown-Buchanan, 2015; Emdin, 2016; Ladson-Billings, 1995; Milner, 2010). However, limited studies have focused on how teacher candidates connect race and social…

The issue of diversity in U.S. K-12 schools requires significant training and experiences for preservice teachers to recognize the importance of students' socio-cultural, religious values, and the influence their cultural background have in their quest to succeed in their educational endeavors. This study provides significant information to…

There is an urgent need for leadership skills when facilitating communication and engendering acceptance and respect among people from culturally different backgrounds, opposing viewpoints, and vastly different experiences. Thus, when facilitating intercultural group dialogs, varying institutions, agencies, and businesses need culturally competent…

The collection of articles presented in this special issue of "Multicultural Education" takes on an enhanced level of topicality and immediacy in light of the crossroads at which both multiculturalism and multicultural education find themselves in both the United States and the West generally. What can be taken from this collection is…

In this article, the author states that during her experience on jury duty--spent with a melting pot of socially-conscious citizens--she reflected upon the implications for education and her own teaching practice. Three major themes centering around her understanding of multiculturalism surfaced: (1) Defining multiculturalism; (2) The cult of…

When professional development in diversity is provided to educators in the field, it usually targets classroom practice with the intent of closing the achievement gap. These efforts are critical. But work should not stop there because culture underlies every policy, practice, and procedure in the school and influences every thought, interaction,…

According to this author, the Earth is in trouble. Decades of mining, over-fishing, and the pumping of toxic chemicals into the atmosphere have taken an enormous toll on an otherwise robust and healthy planetary ecosystem. Those responsible have prioritized financial gain over sustainability, over life--plant, animal, and human. Short-term profit…

To demonstrate the significance of cultural crossings in Texas and how cultural exchanges can inform teachers and students in the areas of history, fine arts, geography, and social studies, the author constructed a Summer 2013 teacher workshop for Texas K-12 teachers through the Smithsonian Affiliated Institute of Texan Cultures. The author…