부산대학교 도서관

While the student population in the United States becomes culturally diverse, it is imperative to provide an empowering and equitable education for all students in the United States. Within the context of teacher preparation, one of the highest priorities is to help prospective teachers acquire the attitudes knowledge, skills, and dispositions to work effectively with culturally diverse students. Schools, colleges, and departments of education must assume the responsibility of preparing all teachers, regardless of race, to teach in culturally diverse classrooms. While most teacher education programs acknowledge the importance of an increasing diversity among school pupils, reviews of the literature reveal that until recently relatively little attention in mainstream teacher education programs has been focused on preparing teachers for the children they will likely encounter (Grant & Secada, 1990; Liston & Zeichner, 1991). This paper is an attempt to explore some of the issues and challenges that embedded in teacher education in the United States. I propose that unless we endeavor to change the structure and ideology of mainstream, to the benefit of some and to the detriment of others, internal contradiction will persist. Once the challenges are recognized, making changes is possible. With this in mind, the first section deals with issues of institutional and programmatic reform. The issues associated with politics will be discussed to unveil the obstacles. Second, I will discuss issues related to the recruitment of faculty and prospective teachers. This section highlights why and how to create a teaching force responsive to the increasing culturally diverse population. Then, curriculum and instruction of teacher education are examined to uncover the prevailing trend. In conclusion, some of the issues are revisited to highlight the critical components of an effective teacher education for diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]