Development of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Commitment to Teach Diverse Student Populations

Abstract

Student populations are becoming in-creasingly diverse as the teaching force remains essentially homogeneous; 31.5 % of students are minorities, and only 13.5 % of teachers are mi-norities (National Center for Education Statis-tics, 1996). In city schools, 54 % of the students are minority and 25 % of the teachers are minor-ity. Vigorous recruitment and incentives for minority teachers may improve these ratios somewhat, but current evidence indicates that the limited presence of African American teachers is a current challenge displaying little promise of solution in this country (King, 1993, p. 115). The Carnegie Forum (1986) and the Education Commission on the States (1990) earlier docu-mented the relatively few teachers of color in the teaching profession. A long-term solution may result from a better understanding of what it means to be a successful teacher in a culturally diverse class-room. Successful teachers are those able to provide what Ladson-Billings (1994) calls cultur-ally relevant instruction (p. 17). She sees this requiring a sensitivity to cultural differences and, for a vast majority of the teachers, a deep under-standing of cultural norms other than their own. Oakland University has included compo-nents of diversity awareness and experience in its teacher education program for many years. Students must complete pre-student teaching field placements in at least two urban settings. There is no specific undergraduate course in multicultural education, but students study the knowledge and skills necessary to teach in diverse settings in a variety of courses. In addition, faculty in the department have been engaged in