During a 3-year project, a Colorado graduate teacher education program used Latino children's literature in field experience seminars to help 70 preservice teachers gain background knowledge of Hispanic cultures, language, and issues. The teacher candidates then used the same literature in their field experience classrooms, tapping into students'…

Although Mexican Americans are the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States, their history and literature are seldom taught in American classrooms. A study of over 3,000 high school sophomores in the Southwest revealed that neither Anglos nor Hispanics were aware of the contributions of Mexican Americans. Incorporating Mexican American…

The disparity between the ethnic and cultural makeup of our teaching force and the ethnic and cultural makeup of the student population demands initiatives on the part of teacher preparation programs. Preservice teachers need to learn about the various cultures of their students in order to increase communication and understanding. As preservice…