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The French film "Entre Les Murs" ("The Class") is a somewhat unusual film in its portrayal of a Parisian working class school and its protagonist, Mr. Marin, who attempts to teach an unruly class of young and very diverse teenagers. This article explores the ways the author used the film "The Class" as a culminating class project for her largely White, primarily Christian, rural/suburban teacher candidates. It describes how the film offers provocative and compelling examples of pedagogical and curricular struggles and classroom and school cultures for examination, discussion, and critique--examples that can illustrate how a classroom does not need a hero teacher to be a good place for students to be. The author also offers a few reflections from students' final papers, which highlight some of their insights and reflect the potential value of this experience.

Are there teachable "transferable skills" (TS) that might mitigate the limitations of a rural location--or indeed, the limitations any program might encounter in regard to diversity expectations? Following a study conducted in 2010 of how rural schools, colleges, and departments of education (SCDEs) attempted to meet the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education's (NCATE) diversity standard, the same researchers wondered if teacher educators using a TS orientation could help bring clarity to this unexplored pedagogical focus, informing the discussion around preparing future teachers for "other people's children" (Delpit, 1995). The second study focused on answering the following questions: (1) How is a TS orientation defined, especially as opposed to a single group focus (SGF) orientation?; (2) What are examples of transferable skills teacher educators seek to foster, and what are examples of ways teacher educators use a SGF focus?; and (3) Why would either a TS or a SGF orientation be effective for teachers in working with diverse students? This article discusses the conclusions drawn from data in the study, which suggest that regardless of whether teacher educators endorse a TS or a SGF perspective, they basically agree on the skills they consider critical for successful teaching, and recognize the need for cultural competence as a critical foundation for developing these skills. The researchers in this study argue that the knowledge and skills identified in this study are too critical to devalue, and a "toolbox" of both culturally contextualized learning and transferable skills, however rudimentary, is a formidable resource.

This paper describes the struggles of a teacher educator to acknowledge and honor her own liberal bias along with her students' more conservative perspectives as these emerge in an education law class for preservice teachers. It illustrates the author's ongoing transition from rationalization to reflection, as she considers both her students' responses to class assignments on speech and expression rights and end-of-course evaluations, and reflects on the possibility that generational and experiential differences, rather than "resistance," may be behind students' reactions. The author concludes that transparency on the part of the teacher educator is critical to allow (re)consideration of our beliefs in more reflective ways.

Social foundations courses, and in particular any course that has to do with multiculturalism or diversity, can be land mines for teacher educators seeking to provide experiences that may be "partisan" but also "educative". This article explores the tensions of teaching multiculturalism classes to undergraduate teacher education students and is based on experiences at a public rural Midwestern university over the last few years. Interviews with department colleagues who teach the multiculturalism course, student journals and course evaluations, and reflection provide the data for this reflective essay.

Chicago Public Schools and school districts throughout the country are seeking new ways to foster racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic equity as desegregation consent decrees are being lifted. One of Chicago's selective enrollment high schools drafted parents, educators, administrators, and community representatives to address its own diversity concerns and to examine the barriers to high-quality educational opportunities district-wide. As a result, this school began a pilot program that explored opportunities for bolstering the recruitment and nurturing the success of low income and minority students, and these efforts eventually contributed to policy changes in the overall district. The authors describe the program's development and implementation and suggest it as one model for closing the "opportunity gap."

There are significant concerns about campus relationships, primarily between white students and students of color, but also related to students of different religious backgrounds (e.g., Christian and Muslim). Despite the growing diversity in faculty and student bodies on campus, students could still navigate through college without having to interact in meaningful ways with others of different backgrounds. There are many priorities for colleges and universities to pursue at an institutional level. It may be more important for administrators to prioritize increased diversity in recruitment and retention of students (and faculty) than to take ownership of the challenge of making the experience of campus diversity positive and meaningful. Consequently, campus organizations or even individuals may need to undertake efforts aimed at increased intercultural understanding and interaction. It takes more than diversity of campus populations for individuals to interact in meaningful ways with others of different backgrounds. In this article, the authors share their experience launching a series of campus conversations focused on raising personal awareness and building relationships across difference.

This pilot study explored how undergraduate students are perceived by higher education faculty regarding their initiative and abilities. Faculty tended to agree that students are engaged in class, but more specific skills and attitudes needed to perform successfully in college are not as apparent to them. Around half of faculty respondents with at least 10 years experience in higher education agreed these skills and abilities are declining. Emergent themes from comments suggest faculty believe students' skills and work ethic have declined while their sense of entitlement (e.g., to high grades) has increased. Comments also suggest faculty believe the decline is a result of a lack of preparation in basic skills from secondary school, the overall culture and politics of secondary education, students' unrealistic perceptions of the expectations in higher education, and students' active lifestyles outside of classes. (Contains 3 footnotes and 3 tables.)

Background/Context: While there is ample evidence that the K-12 student population is becoming increasingly diverse and the teacher workforce is not, very little literature addresses the specific problems rural teacher education programs may experience attempting to meet the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) diversity standard. A 2005 NCATE-sponsored survey found that an unknown number of respondents indicated difficulty in meeting the requirements of the standard and that "geographically isolated" programs were especially affected. The existing research that targets rural programs tends to describe specific practices. As NCATE and TEAC, the two major teacher education accreditation programs, move toward consolidation, revisiting the expectations regarding diversity is critical. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: The purpose of this study was to explore rural SCDEs' experiences with the diversity standard as well as the implications of these experiences, with the aim of reporting and suggesting possible strategies for enhancing the application of the standard at the institutional and agency levels. We hypothesized that rural schools experience difficulty with meeting aspects of the standard due to the potential limitations associated with the schools' locations. Research questions focused on how rural programs define diversity, identification of obstacles, priorities for programs, and adaptations. One hundred and sixteen NCATE coordinators and/or deans participated in the study's online survey. Research Design: This research was an exploratory study that used qualitative and quantitative methods. The instrument included survey questions and items for open-ended responses. Conclusions/Recommendations: Rural teacher education programs do experience difficulties with meeting the requirements of the NCATE diversity standard. Respondents singled out recruitment and retention of diverse faculty and candidates, inability to provide high-quality diversity experiences, and location as the biggest issues. Respondents perceived that NCATE focuses on race and ethnicity to the exclusion of other categories. In particular, respondents reported strong beliefs that SES and exceptionalities are more universal and more locally relevant and deserve to be recognized as critical priorities for educating candidates who could build on this competence in working with other diversities--a kind of "transferable skills" perspective. Programs would like to see recognition for "good faith" efforts and would value the opportunity to demonstrate the strengths and generalizability of their diversity programs. As NCATE and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) move toward consolidation, new frameworks for assessing these frameworks should be considered.

The dynamics of the teacher-researcher relationship-whether embodied in a real time school inquiry or in a writer-reader connection through a piece of literature--are complex and have a significant impact on the meaningful transmission of knowledge between researchers and practitioners. Studies and anecdotal evidence suggest that teachers have a belief system that can be resistant to thinking differently; however, researchers contribute to underlying tensions when they do not pay sufficient attention to the needs of the schools and teachers they study, speak and write in researcher language, or leave the work of professional development to education bureaucrats. This article gives voice to novice and veteran teachers as they talk about the effects of research and researchers on their practice and the obstacles that prevent stronger connections. Teachers' expectations for a mutually respectful professional learning short relationship figure prominently in the reflections they offer about what works and what does not in closing the research-practice gap.

In this chapter, the authors focus on teacher development as a collective and organizational issue. They begin with a brief review of conventional approaches to teacher workforce development and management, including current critiques of these efforts, their possible consequences, and an overview of the recent calls for more comprehensive, systemic approaches. A discussion on theoretical perspectives on strategic human resource management follows. The authors then examine how these theoretical perspectives apply to the development and management of teachers through several examples of innovative practice at the school, district, and state levels. The chapter concludes with a discussion of why using these perspectives to guide teacher development policy and practice may be difficult. (Contains 1 table.)

Research on parent-teacher relationships tends to relegate parents to visitor roles in schools and to reinforce student achievement as the primary goal of parent-teacher relationships. This article argues for the recognition of the importance of talk among parents and teachers both as a research methodology and as a desirable outcome in creating and sustaining democratic communities that support school improvement. The study described used a qualitative approach that incorporated interviews and focus groups in a participative inquiry. Individual interviews with fourth through eighth grade teachers and parents determined the issues to be explored first in separate and then joint focus groups. Teachers and parents together discussed issues such as defensiveness, communication, and alliances. While parents and teachers did not espouse democratic communities per se, the values they expressed as important investment in the school community, direct and honest communication, trust, mutual respect and mutual goals all reflect the communication requirements of such communities. Parents and teachers may routinely frame the meanings of their encounters in terms of the children they have in common, but it appears that what they look for from each other is clearly connected to what they need for themselves as people who share a community that reflects democratic values.

When teachers are charged with educating students who are racially, culturally, or economically different from them, they may have little information on the culture and the expectations for family involvement, of their students. This lack of information may lead to perceptions of working-class families, in particular, as socially disorganized and intellectually deficient. Research embodying the theoretical framework of Funds of Knowledge (FoK) attempts to counter this deficit model through its assertion that all families possess extensive bodies of knowledge that have developed through social, historical, political, and economic contexts. The purpose of this study was to carefully examine one Hispanic family's support of their young children's early literacy development in the home. Findings indicated that the family possessed extensive FoK, which proved useful not only at home but in the classroom through action research. Additionally, this study led to changes in my own perceptions of families' experiences and prompted changes in the way I, as an educator, utilized home learning in the classroom. FoK research, in conjunction with action research and autoethnography, is not extensively addressed in literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers the author's view on multiculturalism and social foundations courses in teachers' education in the U.S. According to the Association of American Colleges and Universities, ethical and moral development grows along with intellectual development, which associates the college professors' role in the development of values and morality of the students. It reports on the influence of K-12 education to undergraduate students. It also discusses the liberal purpose in educating students which involves helping them how to deal with life rather than teaching what values and lifestyle to follow.

Focuses on the professional standards movement in teaching fueled by national organizations in the United States. Effect of the publication of the 1986 Carnegie Commission report on the movement; Collaboration among national organizations on teaching standards; Implications for instructional programs; Options for social foundations educators; Implications for educators and activists.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including teachers' thinking on including student surveys in their evaluation, the use of Q methodology for program assessment, and the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including student knowledge links, microlectures and the effectiveness of undergraduate academic advising programs.