Meeting the Challenge of Linguistic and Cultural Diversity in Early Childhood Education

The volume editors of this work cast an eye towards the future, where US schools and society will be increasingly populated by racially and ethnically diverse groups, more so than any other period in the country’s history. Rachel Grant examines the practices and methods in the teaching of second language learners. Fred Genesee and Elena Nicoladis discuss bilingualism in preschool children. S. Jim Campos describes and analyses a preschool programme for Latino children. Celia Genishi and Margaret Borrego Brainard review the ways in which the language capacities of bilingual children are tested by teachers and institutions. Howard L. Smith and Paul E. Heckman look at a playground fight which becomes emblematic of the clashes between Spanish-dominant and English-dominant children. George P. Knight, Martha E. Bernal and Gustavo Carlo compare and contrast socialisation and individual behaviour among Mexican-American children. Francisco A. Villarruel, David R. Imig and Marjorie J. Kostelnick look at different family structures in culturally diverse families and their impact on children. Karen Shu-Minutoli also looks at the family: the characteristics, styles, and support needed in care of disabled, diverse children. Patricia A. Edwards, Kathleen L. Fear and Margaret A. Gallego examine parents’ roles in the pursuit of fair education for their children, and how they can affect curriculum. In the last two chapters, Olivia N. Saracho and Bernard Spodek discuss teacher preparation in early childhood education programmes for diverse chilren, and in conclusion, summarise the challenges that face us regarding the issue of linguistic and cultural diversity.