Recommends emphasizing the accuracy and integrity of what is being taught as well as the mechanics of information delivery, noting that minority groups have historically been underrepresented in the curriculum. Curriculum revision on all levels requires incorporation of achievements of all members of the diverse U. S. society. (SM)

Several issues must be resolved to help teacher education become a truly multicultural experience. The paper discusses whether values can be taught in universities and suggests screening teacher candidates for prejudice prior to accepting them into programs. Universities need faculty who can model appropriate behaviors and teach about such issues.…

Recounts a student teacher's field experience which involved conducting a case study of one elementary student. She followed the class's only Hispanic student who was labeled a low achiever with an uncooperative family but who was actually very capable. Though she could not intervene, the experience shaped her teaching career. (SM)

African-American teacher educator describes her educational experiences. Though elementary school peers and teachers were predominantly African-American, there was no focus on African-American history and diversity. Her secondary and postsecondary years in predominantly white schools showed her the need for multicultural education and helped shape…

Senator Paul Simon discusses the importance of a global, humanistic, multicultural approach to education. He presents insights to help make teachers better educators, stressing the importance of making education a priority (particularly for minorities) and enhancing the quality of teaching. (SM)

Addresses several issues about teaching and learning from Virginia's state capital sphere of responsibility: the state board of education's stake in the quality of teaching and learning; why they get involved; whether they help create environments in which teaching and learning can flourish; and whether they are learners themselves. (SM)

Examines how teachers' pedagogical practices shape them as educators and alter their belief systems about students. A teacher describes her own pedagogy, noting how she made her practices consonant with her beliefs and discussing the changes in her attitudes when she changed her course from pass-fail to letter grading. (SM)

A commencement speech to aspiring teachers discusses the complexities of becoming a teacher to help graduates cope realistically with any obstacles they might encounter. The paper stresses that teaching young children is an intensely personal experience that is well worth the struggle. (SM)

Examines discontent over standards of education and its relationship to current debates about multicultural education. The paper discusses the views of critics and advocates of multicultural education as well as of those who must implement it no matter what their stance. It also notes the effects of discontent on students. (SM)

Identifies issues in educating students with disabilities who enter postsecondary programs intending to teach individuals with disabilities. The article discusses legal issues guaranteeing equal educational access, questions assumptions about teacher preparation, and mentions contributions to educational quality made by people with disabilities.…

Current teacher education programs do not provide appropriate knowledge for teaching minority students. The article focuses on American Indian students as an example. It discusses the value of using students' home language and culture at school, particularly in the early years, and stresses the value of responsive teaching methods. (SM)

Examines the role of Canadian supervisors working with aboriginal student teachers and their non-Aboriginal cooperating teachers in the extended practicum. The article discusses how to solve interpersonal dilemmas using the contextual supervision model which conceptualizes the supervisory process and generates possible strategies to guide…

Proposes two approaches for nurturing teachers' and students' ability to develop caring attitudes and to experience others' lives vicariously: critical reading of literature and writing narratives. The article suggests that intimate, confrontive engagement with texts read and/or written by students might inform teachers of previously unrecognized…

Describes strategies one teacher educator uses in an ethnic studies course designed to prepare teachers for the future (which is predicted to have more minority students and fewer minority teachers). Multicultural educational experiences are essential so teachers can gain social science, pedagogical, and subject matter content knowledge about…

Describes a college course entitled "Race and Education" offered to students from all departments, most of whom are white. The course teaches students to think reflectively and analytically about the nature and impact of racism, examining educational institutions and their own educational experiences as the vehicle. (SM)