Cultural Competence in America s Schools Leadership Engagement and Understanding Educational Pol

Cultural Competence in America's Schools: Leadership, Engagement and Understanding focuses on explicating the impact of culture and issues of race and ethnicity on student learning, teacher and leadership efficacy, and educational policy making in our nation's public school system. The authors agree with Levin (2012), who pointed out that the challenge of dealing effectively with racial and ethnic diversity in education in traditionally homogeneous societies is a global problem. One indicator of this point is revealed in a U.S. study that was commissioned by the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality, which reported on the serious consequences for student achievement and teacher effectiveness in the face of 'the gap between teacher training and the realities of the classroom when it comes to teaching diverse populations and students with special needs.' (Public Agenda, 2008, p. 2).