This contributed-to text provides a balance between theory and application to examine the contested political and pedagogical issues surrounding multiculturalism and bilingual education in the United States. The engaging voices and styles are woven together to create a unified, student-accessible text which provides a realistic account of the issues of multicultural and bilingual education facing teachers today. The first part of the book establishes a conceptual framework for the book. The second part sets the context for reflection and action for students and teachers in the cross fire. The contributing writers examine topics in light of the current and forthcoming demographic shifts in the United States during the next century, suggesting a country increasingly divided along class lines, browner, urban, and multilingual; with a teaching force comprised mostly of white, middle-class females.
Authored by some of the leading and more engaging voices in the field of multilingual and bilingual education, the book is designed to help students and teachers develop informed mind sets related to the highly contested political and pedagogical issues surrounding pluralistic schooling in our society.