In this commentary, the author aims to pull together the threads in the conversation between multicultural and special teacher educators surrounding issues of collaboration, as reflected in this issue. She begins with a brief discussion of collaborative teacher education--a central concept to the dialogue--and then comments on why she thinks such…

Students who speak languages other than English are a growing presence in U.S. schools. As a result, many mainstream classroom teachers are finding that they have English language learners in their classes. Unfortunately, most mainstream classroom teachers have had little or no preparation for providing the types of assistance that such learners…

Explains that culturally responsive teachers are socioculturally conscious; have affirming views of diverse students; see themselves as responsible for and capable of bringing about change to make schools more equitable; understand how learners construct knowledge and can promote knowledge construction; know about the lives of their students; and…