Today's classrooms are more diverse than ever before. In order to reach these students, educators must be aware of the issues facing their various cultural, racial, ethnic, and language groups. Focusing on the pertinent issues in multicultural education, this new edition raises these critical issues and facilitates meaningful discussion. It has been completely updated with the latest developments in the field to provide the educator with all the tools necessary to become effective practitioners. This book is divided into the following five parts and 17 chapters. Part I, Issues and Concepts, contains the first set of chapters: (1) Multicultural Education: Characteristics and Goals (James A. Banks); (2) Culture in Society and in Educational Practices (Frederick Erickson); and (3) Race, Class, Gender, and Disability in the Classroom (Carl A. Grant and Christine E. Sleeter). Part II, Social Class and Religion, contains the next two chapters: (4) Social Class and Educational Equality (Caroline Hodges Persell); and (5) Christian Nation or Pluralistic Culture: Religion in American Life (Charles H. Lippy). Part III, Gender, contains: (6) Gender Bias: From Colonial America to Today's Classrooms (David Sadker and Karen Zittleman); (7) Classrooms for Diversity: Rethinking Curriculum and Pedagogy (Mary Kay Thompson Tetreault); and (8) Transforming the Curriculum: Teaching about Women of Color (Johnnella E. Butler and Deirdre Raynor). Part IV, Race, Ethnicity and Language, contains the next set of chapters: (9) Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory and Practice (Gloria Ladson-Billings); (10) Approaches to Multicultural Curriculum Reform (James A. Banks); (11) The Colorblind Perspective in School: Causes and Consequences (Janet Ward Schofield); and (12) Language Diversity and Schooling (Tom T. Stritikus and Manka M. Varghese). Part V, Exceptionality, then presents: (13) Educational Equality for Students with Disabilities (William L. Heward, Sara Ernsbarger Bicard, and Rodney A. Cavanaugh); (14) School Inclusion and Multicultural Issues in Special Education (Luanna H. Meyer, Jill Bevan-Brown, Beth Harry, and Mara Sapon-Shevin); and (15) Recruiting and Retaining Gifted Students from Diverse Ethnic, Cultural, and Language Groups (Donna Y. Ford). Part VI, School Reform, contains the final two chapters: (16) School Reform and Student Learning: A Multicultural Perspective (Sonia Nieto); and (17) Families and Teachers Working Together for School Improvement (Cherry A. McGee Banks). Also included are: (1) Appendix Multicultural Resources; (2) Glossary; (3) (list of) Contributors; and (4) Index. [For "Multicultural Education: Issues and Perspectives. 5th Edition, Update," see ED493655.]