Struggling Toward Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in the Latino Diaspora

Increasing numbers of Latinos are settling in parts of the U.S. where few Latinos have lived before. Many of these diaspora Latinos are school-age children who do not yet speak English fluently. Although rural U.S. educators often work hard to serve Latino diaspora schoolchildren, most rural schools do not provide enough support. This article describes the successes and failures of one paraprofessional working in the Latino diaspora. By describing her strategies to make school more culturally familiar, as well as the reactions Latino students and Anglo educators had to her efforts, the article illustrates both the potential and the difficulty of culturally relevant pedagogy in the Latino diaspora.