ABSTRACT
The preparation of teachers for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) learners constitutes an increasing challenge for schools, colleges, and departments of education. The face and language of American schools is changing rapidly, even faster than projected by census statistics. Of every ten children in K–12 schools, four are children of color and two come from homes where languages other than English are spoken (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2003, 2006). In addition, accountability measures established in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) call for English language learners (ELLs) to be assessed yearly. Decisions about schools’, teachers’, and students’ futures are being made based on the results of such assessments. The NCLB also includes provisions regarding teaching quality that are challenging states to examine and reform their teacher certification processes and to ensure teachers have mastery of their content areas (Education Commission of the States, 2002). However, teachers are coming out of teacher preparation programs with minimal tools or no training to help them address the needs of CLD children. While standards for children’s learning and performance expectations are being revised to adapt to the population changes, standards for teacher’s preparation programs seem to remain unaffected in most cases.
