Human Diversity in Education: An Integrative Approach: AND PowerWeb

This research-based, comprehensive introduction to multicultural education and diversity prepares future teachers for the wide diversity of students they will meet in their classrooms, schools, and communities. Moving beyond the purely cultural approach of many comparable texts, Human Diversity in Education addresses the full range of human diversity found in today’s schools--including nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, gender, class, language, sexual orientation, and ability levels.

Based on the assumption that change begins with the individual teacher, the text argues that prospective teachers must learn to incorporate issues of diversity in all of their work--including in their interactions with children, parents, colleagues, and the community.

Kenneth Cushner is Associate Dean for Student Life and Intercultural Affairs, and Professor of Education and in the College and Graduate School of Education at Kent State University. He received his doctorate at the University of Hawaii while on scholarship with the Institute of Culture and Communication of the East-West Center. Dr. Cushner is a frequent contributor to the professional development of educators and other professionals through workshops, writing, consulting, and travel programs. Among his publications, he is co-author of Intercultural Interactions: A Practical Guide, 2/e (Sage Publications, 1996); co-editor of Improving Intercultural Interactions, Vol. 2 (Sage Pub, 1997); editor of International Perspectives on Intercultural Education (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1998), and author of Human Diversity in Action (McGraw-Hill, 1999). He has taught in schools or developed educational programs for teachers and youths on all seven continents, and is current Director of COST—The Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching.

Averil McClelland is Associate Professor of Cultural Foundations of Education and Director of the Project on the Study of Gender and Education in the College of Education at Kent State University. She received her undergraduate degree in sociology with honors from Hiram College and her M.Ed. and Ph.D. in cultural foundations from Kent State University. The author of several articles on gender and multicultural issues in education, she is author of a sourcebook, The Education of Women in the United States, and a Member Center Director with the National Council for Research on Women.

Philip Safford is Professor of Psychology, Case Western Reserve University, and Professor Emeritus, Special Education, Kent State University. His Ph.D. was earned through the combined program in education and psychology of the University of Michigan, with specialization in special education and developmental psychology. Previously, he had been a teacher of emotionally disturbed children and also a coordinator and director of special education in residential treatment programs. He has authored four books, all concerning special education for infants, toddlers, and preschool age children with disabilities, as well as numerous journal articles. He has directed or co-directed a number of training, research, and demonstration projects supported by federal and state grants in special education.