Aaliyah Baker and Nina F.

Weisling

Review
Cultivating Racial and Linguistic Diversity in
Literacy Teacher Education: Teachers Like Me
by Marcelle M. Haddix. New York: Routledge, 2016.
138 pp.

____________________________________________
Cultivating Racial and Linguistic Diversity

One of the many challenges teacher

in Literacy Teacher Education: Teachers

educators (referred to as faculty moving

Like Me was written by Marcelle M. Haddix,

forward) face in the work of preparing

a Deans Associate Professor and Chair of the

teachers is the culturally and linguistically

Reading and Language Arts Center in the

diverse context in which this work takes

School of Education at Syracuse University in

place, both at the university level and in

New York. Haddix is an award-winning

elementary and secondary schools. More

educator whose research interests focus on

than ever before, teachers are working with

the educational experiences of students of

students from a wide range of cultural,

color, specifically those pursuing their

ethnic,

teaching degree in literacy and/or English.

backgrounds, yet the teaching force is still

She has a bachelors degree in English

predominantly white, middle class, and

education from Drake University, a masters

female. It is not uncommon to hear faculty

degree in education from Cardinal Stritch

use terms like culturally responsive teaching

University, and a doctorate from Boston

and

College.

teachers for their future classrooms, the

economic,

pedagogy

and

when

linguistic

preparing

these

This book was selected for review

underlying assumptions that teachers will

because it centers around the unique

apply these principles and be able to

experiences of culturally and linguistically

effectively

diverse

backgrounds. However, Cultivating Racial

teachers,

underrepresented

that

students

from

all

the

and Linguistic Diversity in Literacy Teacher

reviewers, as university faculty, strive to

Education argues that our existing approach

serve more effectively.

to culturally responsive practice is not only

60

population

traditionally

educate

Wisconsin English Journal

Volume 58, Number 1

Spring 2016

Review: Cultivating Racial and Linguistic Diversity

insufficient in its current form, but that it

adds richness and fidelity to the text and

misses a layer of complexity entirely: the

highlights the multifaceted dimensions of

presence of cultural and linguistic diversity

narrative research. Haddixs research is

(or lack thereof) in university classrooms.

highly suitable for use in preservice teacher

Two critical arguments make up

education programs as well as among current

Haddixs thesis. First, she argues that faculty

educators. Through these counterstories and

must

cultural

through detailed descriptions of related

competence in their primarily white, middle-

research, Haddix effectively supports her

class, and female teachers so that they can

thesis.

continue

to

address

effectively educate all students. However,

However, despite a strongly supported

this approach is inadequate and needs to

thesis, we would like to suggest the need to go

include both more focus on enactment of

beyond

those concepts and considerations for the

provision of more specific ideas for teaching

needs, perspectives, and voices of future

pedagogy, supports, and strategies not only

educators of color. Second, Haddix argues

based upon the experiences of future and

that there is a need to recruit, retain, and

current educators of color, but also geared

ultimately address the unique needs of future

toward enactment of culturally responsive,

teachers of color.

social justice-minded education by all future

theory

and

rationale,

toward

To build these arguments, Haddix

educators. What can schools and faculty do to

bridges accounts of her personal experience

include and reach all voices? to attract and

with other lived experiences as told through

retain future educators of color?

the perspectives of three women educators of

Additionally, we believe there are

color (LaToya, Natasha, and Angela) who

other

embody multiple roles and identities. Their

dimensions of self needing consideration,

identities shape their realities and thus

including

inform and influence their work as and with

ableism. For example, disability is not

students. The book raises critical issues for

conceived of independent of other facets of

understanding diversity through examining

our sociocultural identities, as evidenced by a

ones sociocultural self, the ability to embrace

history of overrepresentation of students of

multiple perspectives, and epistemological

color in subjective categories of disability like

conceptions of teaching for social justice. The

Learning

use of authentic African American language

Behavioral Disorders (Harry, 2006). Thus all

61

Wisconsin English Journal

intersecting,
religion,

Disability

Volume 58, Number 1

socially
class,

and

constructed
gender,

and

Emotional

Spring 2016

Review: Cultivating Racial and Linguistic Diversity

educators must be knowledgeable about

we can more intently listen to the experiences

these

tenets.

of students of color (p. xv), if one does

Haddixs research could further situate a

approach social justice as a bullet point or

theoretical argument for the inclusion of

checklist, how might ones lens change? We

these dimensions in the discussion of

feel that the purpose of Haddixs book is

whiteness, race, and social justice education.

successfully achieved as it challenges faculty

Our work as former general education and

to think critically about their role of

special education teachers calls us to

cultivating, interpreting, and examining

challenge the intersection of all dimensions

cultural and linguistic diversity in the

of self in culturally responsive and social

mission, theory, and practice of literacy

justice education. Special education and

teacher education, but are now left with the

general education come together in inclusive

gaping and urgent question, how?

central

and

overlapping

settings in which deep understandings and

relationships between the two knowledge
sets must form.

Reference
Harry, B., & Klingner, J. K. (2006). Why are

Since we found the thesis critical to

so many minority students in special

teacher education, we had to negotiate a

education?: Understanding race &

disheartening reality many faculty and future

disability in schools. New York:

educators may not share or understand the

Teachers College Press.

goals purported in Cultivating Racial and

Linguistic Diversity in Literacy Teacher

Aaliyah Baker is Assistant Professor in the

Education. Therefore, we are left with

College of Education and Leadership at

perplexing questions related to our work: If

Cardinal

preservice teachers approach social justice

abaker@stritch.edu.

Stritch

University;

email

education as just another bullet to add to

their resume (p. 45), then how does one

Nina F. Weisling is Assistant Professor in the

receive and use this book? If teachers employ

College of Education and Leadership at

different ideals about social justice education

Cardinal

(the mission, theory, and practice), then what

nweisling@stritch.edu.

Stritch

University;

email

does change actually look like? What are the

tools for change? Furthermore, since the goal

Copyright 2016 by the Wisconsin Council

of this book is to think critically about how

of Teachers of English.

62

Wisconsin English Journal

Volume 58, Number 1

Spring 2016