Conceptions, critiques, and challenges in multicultural education: Informing teacher education reform in the U.S.

This article reviews studies on multicultural education in the U.S. It explores major tenets of multiculturalism as espoused by proponents of multicultural education. It discusses critiques of current multicultural approaches to education, such as critical multiculturalism, critical race theory, and anti-racism. It identifies the ways in which studies about whiteness impact ideas about multicultural education, and explores critiques of multiculturalism in the era of globalism. Finally, it examines pre-service teacher education and reform of teacher education in relation to these aspects of multicultural approaches to education in order to provide insights on the future direction of multicultural teacher education.