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Culturally Responsive Conversations
Connecting with Your Diverse School Community

"Marina and Seth's wisdom and stories helped me better understand what I've seen and heard in classrooms around the world, and reflect on how I can be better with kids of every background."

- Mike Goldstein, founder, Match Education, Boston


"Scholars have dissected cultural responsiveness, alerting educators of its importance, but educators are still left with the question of 'how do we actually do this in schools?' The authors extend current knowledge into practical, digestible nuggets of wisdom that concretize and demystify cultural responsiveness for educators."

- Josephine M. Kim, Senior Lecturer on Education at Harvard University


"In this engaging and highly readable primer on cross-cultural communications for educators Marina Lee and Seth Leighton offer an original synthesis of knowledge based on scholarship and on practice with practical exercises that can help the reader become more self-aware and competent in navigating cross-cultural exchanges. Their own lived experience, as a multicultural family and as global educators, uniquely qualifies them to speak with authority and authenticity about the potential of true communication that bridges cultures. This book will empower educators to realize the potential that lies in culturally diverse classrooms and schools."

- Fernando M. Reimers, Ford Foundation Professor of the Practice of International Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Marina Minhwa Lee (Author), Seth Leighton (Author)

9781119849155, Wiley

Paperback / softback, published 3 April 2023

208 pages
24.1 x 19.6 x 3.3 cm, 0.431 kg

A strategic handbook for educators and administrators serving increasingly multicultural classrooms

In Culturally Responsive Conversations, longtime cultural inclusion educators Marina Lee and Seth Leighton deliver an eye-opening discussion of how to develop better relationships and improve learning outcomes in a student body that’s growing increasingly culturally diverse.

In the book, readers will explore practical strategies to improve the K-12 educational experience for everyone, including cultural groups who have historically been overlooked or marginalized. This book provides a usable toolkit for educators to have more effective conversations with families from multicultural backgrounds and give all students the educational experience that they deserve. The authors tackle historical models for educating immigrants in the United States while identifying the many stakeholders in the education system and how familial involvement shapes and impacts student achievement. Readers will also find:

  • Interactive self-practice exercises, along with extensive references for additional study
  • Expansive treatments of effective cultural communication and the barriers that prevent teachers and students from achieving it
  • Explanations of how teacher-parent communication can be impacted by cross-cultural talk

An unmatched resource for educators, administrators, and K-12 school leaders, Culturally Responsive Conversations also belongs on the bookshelves of parents, families, and community members hoping to advance the cause of diverse, equitable, and inclusive schools for all.

Acknowledgments xi

About the Authors xiii

Personal Notes from the Authors xv

Part I Setting the Stage 1

Chapter 1 Immigration and Education in the USA 3

Chapter 2 It Takes More Than a Village 15

Chapter 3 The Interplay Between Language and Culture 23

Chapter 4 Staying Mindful of Nuances 43

Chapter 5 Effective Cross-Cultural Communications in School Contexts 65

Part II The Family and the Classroom 73

Chapter 6 Perspectives on the Educator’s Role 75

Chapter 7 Cultural Values and Diversity 85

Chapter 8 Working with Multicultural Families 95

Part III Remembering the Individual 109

Chapter 9 Making Space for Individual Self-Actualization 111

Chapter 10 Addressing Neurodiversity with Cross-Cultural Families 119

Part IV Supporting Students with Higher Education Plans 131

Chapter 11 Introduction to Supporting Students with Higher Education Plans 133

Chapter 12 Navigating High-Pressure Constructs 137

Chapter 13 Cultural Perspectives on Testing and Creating a Comprehensive Best-Fit College List 141

Appendix 1: Learning Through Extracurricular Activities 155

Appendix 2: Common Greetings 163

Resources Consulted 169

Conclusion 175

Index 177

Subject Areas: Education [JN]

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