Innovative Voices in Education

Diverse schools offer enriched academic and social environments, as students and families of different backgrounds and experiences provide a vibrant mosaic of insights, perspectives, and skills. To take advantage of the unique opportunities that diversity brings, schools must value and effectively connect with students and families of all backgrounds. Committed educators are taking on this challenge with gusto, engaging their diverse communities on a daily basis. This book highlights stories from around the world, as innovative teachers, educational leaders, and community activists passionately share personal accounts of their successes, challenges, and lessons learned. These are unsung heroes, doing vital work each day, with little attention beyond the appreciation of their own school communities. The 17 chapters, each by different authors with unique experiences, provide insights, strategies, and new tools that will be of value to anyone who is concerned about improving education for all. These diverse innovative voices will inform, engage, and most of all, inspire you.

Eileen Gale Kugler is an advocate for the benefits that diversity brings schools, communities, and workplaces, challenging stakeholders to break through society's "myth-perceptions" about race and culture. She is the author of the award-winning book Debunking the Middle-Class Myth: Why Diverse Schools Are Good For All Kids.

Building Respectful Schools
Ch. 1 - Closing The Culture Gap
Ch. 2 -A Foot in Two Worlds: Immigrant Students in U.S. Schools
Ch. 3 - Valuing the Individual by Breaking Through Assumptions
The Personal Power of a Teacher
Ch. 4 - Montana's Indian Education for All: Preparing Teacher Candidates to Embrace Culturally Responsive Pedagogy
Ch. 5 - The Importance of Student Stories
Ch. 6 - Serving Long-Term English Learners by Empowering Students in Two Languages
Ch. 7 - Addressing Silences: Creating a Space for Classroom Conversations that Matter to Students
Ch. 8 - A Calling to Teach: Helping Every Child Succeed
Courageous Leaders
Ch. 9 - Serving Marginalized Children: A New Principal Fights for Equity in the Trenches
Ch. 10 - Forging Relationships with High School Students that Impact Learning and Achievement
Ch. 11 -The Equitable Leader: Changing Beliefs and Actions
Community: The Village it Takes
Ch. 12 - From Survivors to Leaders: Stages of Immigrant Parent Involvement in Schools
Ch 13 - Ready to Learn: The Benefits of a Neighborhood School Readiness Team
Ch. 14 - The Power of Family Aspirational Values on Student Academic Success
Global Perspectives
Ch. 15 - International Lessons Learned After 9/11:?Encouraging Mutual Understanding and Respect in British Schools and Beyond
Ch. 16 - The Passion of a Lifelong Australian Educator: Teaching Students First
Ch. 17 - Multicultural to Intercultural: Developing Interdependent Learners