Teaching in a Diverse America: It's the Relationships That Matter

It takes special skills to teach a group of children from many countries all together. We need more teachers with these skills. - - Donna Poisl

FROM MAUREEN COSTELLO

Our nation continues to grow more diverse.

It's especially apparent in our nation's classrooms where one out of four students are the children of immigrants.

Today, when the school bell rings, more teachers are finding themselves looking at a sea of young faces representing an array of racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Sadly, there are unacceptable gaps in the academic achievement of students from diverse backgrounds.

That is why it is so important for teachers to have the skills to reach every student in the classroom and close that achievement gap. As a nation, if we fail to reach students from diverse backgrounds we'll lose the wealth of contributions they could have made to their communities and to the country.
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