Teaching for Diversity
Introduction |
Written by Nancy Baker Jones, Ph.D (1994) |
"Unity through diversity is the only true and enduring unity."
-UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali;
Teaching for Diversity was the theme of the summer "Networkshop" for members of SEDL's Regional Policy Analysts' & Advisors' Network. The Network convened in Santa Fe, New Mexico, August 30-31, 1993 to discuss two related policy issues critical for teacher education:
- the need to prepare a teaching force able to work with and teach effectively a student population that is increasingly diverse; and
- the need to increase the representation of teachers of color in the teaching force. For the purposes of this Networkshop, diversity was defined as differences in cultural, ethnic, and racial backgrounds of students and teachers.
A key strand of discussion, therefore, was on how policy- and decisionmakers in education can recruit, prepare, and retain students from different ethnic- or language-groups in teacher education programs so that they earn credentials to teach, and then do so.
During this Networkshop, participants from Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas heard stimulating opening remarks framing the issues from Dr. Ana Maria Villegas, a research scientist with Educational Testing Service. They also examined the context of the issues from their own state perspectives, heard student and teacher voices from the field in a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Jacqueline Jordan Irvine of Emory University, and considered models and strategies for improving recruitment, preparation, and credentialing of minority and non-minority teachers (including perspectives from universities and legislatures). Finally, they developed a set of implications for policymaking in state work group sessions.
Next Page: Framing the Issue
