The Power of culture: teaching across language difference

Power of Culture: Teaching Across Language Difference examines the pedagogical and political supports necessary to give language minority students a high-quality education in mainstream classrooms. The U.S. educational system and teacher education programs have not adjusted to demographic changes in the student population, including a growing number of language minority Mainstream teachers are expected to teach all students to high standards, but they are frequently not given the professional skills to teach students whose language and culture are different from their own. Power of Culture focuses on three key issues of educational reform high-stakes assessment, effective pedagogy, and teacher preparation as they relate to teaching a diverse student body to high academic standards. Contributing authors assess the effects of high-stakes testing on language minority students, and debate whether educational reform has, in implementation, drifted away from the principle of equity. Vivid descriptions of classrooms exemplify the art and science of teaching language minority students using the power of culture: the power of the mainstream culture and of the students' home cultures. Classroom studies focus on students from a variety of backgrounds, including Cambodian, Cape Verdean, Chinese, and Puerto Rican, as well as literacy students from Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Somalia who arrived in the United States with no literacy skills in either their native language or English. Power of Culture highlights mainstream teachers and teacher preparation programs that are taking the diversity challenge seriously and are responding to the complexities of teaching language minority students in constructive and innovative ways. By examining the high-stakes educational context, examples of successful teaching across language difference, and teacher education programs that help teachers recognize and utilize the power of culture, Power of Culture provides a timely compendium of studies and analyses to guide educators and administrators as they work to fulfill the reform promise of excellence for all students.