Hanan’s English class was representative of the “banking” model, where students were taught Ms. Keller’s ideas rather than being encouraged to form their own. But in her ideal English class, Hanan and her classmates would see themselves as co-learners and co-teachers, able to think for themselves. Adults often do not recognize young people’s insights, perspectives, and knowledge about the teaching and learning process, assuming instead that adults already know the answers. Hanan says that students come to school to learn, and when they don’t, it feels like they have “wasted seven hours of their life.” Allowing them to be co-teachers also helps students connect and apply what they’ve learned to other areas of their lives. Highly qualified teachers make learning engaging, relevant, and challenging so that students see value in what they learn and are motivated to stay in school.For Oscar, Mr. M’s “invisible student radar” is the ideal teaching tool be-cause it allows Mr. M to pay close attention to students’ progress in the class and their overall understanding of the material. Mr. M is constantly discern-ing students’ expressions and body language; sometimes students never say a word but he knows they need his help. Mr. M uses his radar to do multiple tasks: to ask critical questions during lessons, to work one-on-one with stu-dents, to facilitate discussion, and to remain aware of how students under-stand the material

The high school student’s definition of a highly qualified teacher speaks to the personal and interpersonal qualities of teachers; however, the federal gov-ernment’s definition focuses on academic credentials such as content knowl-edge and training. In their letters to teachers, the students described what they feel are the critical qualities of teachers, which differ greatly from the NCLB criteria. Each letter touched on the roles culture and relationships play in defining highly qualified teachers, how teachers can teach beyond their academic qualifications, and how academic achievement is affected by certain teacher qualities. The students’ letters showed that their definition of a highly qualified teacher is someone who

When I first entered the multicultural, multiethnic class-room setting I was unprepared. I did not know how to cope effective!y with so much "diflerence." Despite progressive po li-tics, and my deep engagement with the feminist movement, I had never before been compelled to work within a truly diverse setting and I lacked the necessary skills. This is the case with most educators.

Multiculturalism compels educators to recognize the nar-row boundaries that have shaped the way knowledge is shared in the classroom. It forces us all to recognize our complicity in accepting and perpetuating biases of any kind.

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"the social elevator" (Lopez-Fogues, 2011). As Mann originally conceived the function of public education, there was overt recognition that something in society was amiss, and that "something" could be effectively redressed by offering public education to all-not just some. The same "something" that Mann was acutely aware of and deeply troubled by was and is the gross and growing disparities among the social classes. We continue to need methods for shrinking overwhelming and widen-ing class divides. Many of us choose to address the equity gap by struggling to supply universal access to high-quality, free, and appropriate public education. Nearly two centuries later, "the great equalizer" cannot equalize soon enough

blic schools are where it is all supposed to start-they are the central institutions for bringing both parts of the dream into practice. Americans ex-pect schools not only to help students reach their potential as individuals but

Public schools are essential to make the American dream work, but schools are also the arena in which many Americans first fail. Failure there almost cer-tainly guarantees failure from then on. In the dream, failure results from lack of individual merit and effort; in reality, failure in school too closely tracks structures of racial and class inequality. Schools too often reinforce rather than contend against the intergenerational paradox at the heart of the American dream. That is understandable but not acceptable