ABSTRACT
Parent involvement is a significant component of children's education, correlating with both their achievement and their motivation. Reaching out to parents is especially important when teaching students from minority groups, teaching in urban settings, or teaching in large, bureaucratic schools that create barriers to personal relationships with students. In addition to incorporating aspects of students' home cultures into class activities, multiculturalists emphasize the importance of affirming those cultures, helping students to become competent in their home languages and cultures, and developing their openness to other cultures. In addition to differences in the cultural backgrounds of students from families of diverse national origins, there also are socioeconomic differences that can affect students' readiness and willingness to adapt to the culture of schooling. A collaborative learning community and warm teacher–student relationships set the stage for culturally responsive teaching. Teachers can act as a cultural mediator and broker for diverse students by caring about their personal well-being as well as their academic progress.
