Cultural Diversity in Schools: From Rhetoric to Practice. - Review - book review

Adolescence, Spring, 1998

DeVILLAR, Robert A., FALTIS, Christian J., & CUMMINS, James P. (Eds.). Cultural Diversity in Schools: From Rhetoric to Practice. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1994. 4Ol pp. $24.95 (p).

This book confronts the patterns of school failure often faced by subordinated minority groups in the United States. It does so by presenting a socioacademic framework that is based on the notion that all groups can have comparable access to quality schooling, comparable participation in the schooling, and derive comparable educational benefits from their participation. Organized around three key, interrelated components--communication, integration, and cooperation--the book combines theoretical concepts with actual classroom practices that support change. It moves us from a position of rhetoric about educational equality to one that actively addresses the socioacademic needs of students in a culturally diverse society.