This paper focuses on the need for, and the conditions necessary to maintain, a racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse teaching force, stressing the importance of culturally responsive teaching. It begins by describing what can be accomplished through diverse learning communities. Next, it offers a comprehensive look at the demographics…

The nation's culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) classrooms face a critical shortage of high-quality teachers. Representatives from dozens of major national educational associations and institutions convened September 24-26, 2003, at the Wingspread Conference Center in Racine, Wisconsin, to grapple with this issue. The conference marked…

Examination of factors that contribute to a sustained commitment to the teaching profession suggests that motivation is influenced by nationality, socioeconomic background, gender, and point in time. In general, minority teachers come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and have greater access to teaching than to some other professions. Rewards…

This monograph identifies for researchers and teacher educators important questions about the ways in which race, ethnicity, and culture influence teachers' motivations and intentions for teaching, as well as their expectations of their students and of their own professional lives. Chapter 1, "The Culture of Teachers: The Culture of Teaching,"…

Reviews the historic, social and political forces that have diminished the number of Black and other minority teachers. Contends that the newly imposed certification requirements and assessment criteria in teacher education have had a greater negative impact on the supply of Black teachers than all other deterrents combined. (FMW)