U.S. classrooms are growing more diverse — ethnically, culturally and linguistically. In response, teachers and educational advocates are employing new strategies, and adapting tried-and-true strategies, to better serve diverse parent populations.
In May 2005, Hyundai Motor Company opened a $1 billion automotive assembly and manufacturing plant in Montgomery, Ala., bringing with it thousands of jobs and a new community of Korean-speaking school children and their families. Elementary school teacher Diane Holtam talks about how she welcomes such linguistically and culturally diverse parents into her classroom.
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In an interview with Teaching Tolerance, Dr. Alvin Poussaint [1], a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Media Center for Children at the Judge Baker Children's Center in Boston, explores ways teachers can overcome cultural barriers to connect with parents and increase student learning.
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[1] http://www.tolerance.org/teach/magazine/features.jsp?p=0&is=10&ar=61&pa=3
[2] http://babelfish.altavista.com
[3] http://google.com/translate
[4] http://worldlingo.com
[5] http://www.tolerance.org/images/teach/activities/tt_abc_respect_for_families.pdf