The population of the U.S. is becoming increasingly more diverse. Yet, administrators and teachers in the U.S. are predominantly European Americans from middle-class backgrounds who speak only English. Many of their students are racial and ethnic minorities, live in poverty, and speak a first language other than English (Banks et aI., 2005, p. 237). The No Child Left Behind Act signed into law in2002 requires school districts to hire highly qualified teachers who possess the necessary dispositions to ensure that all children learn (Center on Education Policy, 2002). School administrators and teachers must understand students\u27 backgrounds and experiences, and they must possess the necessary dispositions to work with students from diverse backgrounds (Villegas & Lucas, 2007)
