The new statistics project that the nation will become "Minority White" in 2045 where Whites will comprise 49.7% of the population. In contrast, Hispanics will comprise 24.6%, Blacks 13.1%, Asians 7.9%, and 3.8% for multiracial populations. Given such shifts in the demographic trends, a culturally inclusive curriculum design and delivery…

In this essay, I reflexively narrate my personal travails as a Teaching Associate (TA) in a Midwestern US university and, later, an Assistant Professor in the Southern State of Georgia. I argue that, as a foreign-born TA and, later, an Assistant Professor, I carry extra layers of identity markers that distinguish me from the homegrown professor.…

While many teachers in American pre-service programs struggle to develop experience and awareness of multicultural issues (Sleeter, 2001, "Preparing teachers for culturally diverse schools: Research and the overwhelming presence of Whiteness." "Journal of Teacher Education," 52(2), 94-106. doi:10.1177/0022487101052002002),…

Misconceptions, stereotypes, and deficit views of Mexican immigrants are pervasive in the current U.S. media. Such views are inconsistent with culturally responsive pedagogy, and teachers who hold them will be impeded in their abilities to teach Mexican immigrant children effectively (Nathenson-Mejia & Escamilla, 2003). Research supports the…

Closing the U.S. academic achievement gap is as complex as it is comprehensive due to the disproportion of instructional opportunities available to underserved student populations. Underserved student populations are defined as minority and/or students of color from low-socioeconomic families and communities, English language learners and recent…

Teachers are being asked to educate a variety of students, including a growing number of students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds (Diaz-Rico, 2012. "A course for teaching English learners." Upper Saddle River, NY: Pearson). Because students from diverse backgrounds are the fastest growing population in…

The purpose of this article is to promote discussion of how teacher education programs can better prepare teacher candidates to teach for social justice in ethnically and culturally diverse schools. The authors suggest that teacher education programs must develop teacher candidates' capacity to teach for social justice through preparation programs…

This article discusses the use of digital storytelling to help pre-service teachers learn to be more culturally sensitive in urban classroom settings. Each student created a digital story about his/her own culture and presented it to the class. Students responded in writing at the end of the semester regarding what they had learned by creating and…

This microethnographic case study focuses on patterns of interpretation and decision making of undergraduate preservice teachers as they participated in observations, co-teaching, and teaching in elementary schools in northern Mexico. At the core, this study explores the deeply embedded assumptions preservice teachers may bring to new…