Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores the complex relation among culture, language, literacy, and identity. It then describes and evaluates the development and implementation of curricula, assessments, and materials for students from diverse linguistic, cultural, and racial backgrounds. It also focuses on pre-service and in-service teachers and teacher education issues related to the implementation of multicultural literacies. Multicultural perspectives still have not made a significant impact on the research canon, national research reports, national and state educational decision making, or classroom instruction. The book further explores how the literacy development and performance of individual children are affected by their cultural and linguistic identities and the social contexts in which these identities are embedded. Finally, it reflects the different ways in which the field of multicultural literacies has been interpreted.