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Schubert (1986) juxtaposes curriculum's role in creating a just society. Yet despite educational reform, a monolithic curriculum has continued to dominate school systems in an attempt to create a national identity. Perhaps Schubert's question can be answered by changing the type of curriculum offered to students. The type of curriculum that can create a just society is one that accepts the notion of maintaining diversity within unity. A multicultural teacher education curriculum is offered as a mechanism to prepare teacher candidates for diverse communities. In this article, we recommend that teacher candidates be well prepared for diverse communities by building the following core competencies: academic/content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, cultural knowledge, and heuristic knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a study of preservice teachers' attitudes to language diversity. Using a modified version of the Language Attitude for Teachers Scale (Byrnes & Kiger, 1994), we surveyed preservice teachers (N = 518) before their multicultural education course. The pilot study sample included White college students and Mexican American college students with different degrees of bilinguatity and varying age groups. Analysis showed that ethnicity, bilingualism, and the interaction of birthplace and ethnicity, as well as the interaction of birthplace, age, and bilingualism, may mediate attitudes toward linguistically and culturally diverse populations. Findings, however, revealed only moderate positive attitudes across all ethnic groups. For this reason, teacher educators should not assume that benefits from language and cultural diversity training are limited to White students only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented on the challenges faced by teacher education in the global society. It focuses on the new trends of teaching strategies that educators should adapt as globalization has greatly influenced the political, cultural, and social practices of citizens in the society. It stresses that the enhancement of teacher education helps educators to widen their knowledge and skills in imparting learning to students.