Russian children in American schools: Towards intercultural dialogue in diverse classrooms and teacher preparation programs

This chapter, based on ethnographical research, provides some theoretical insights and practical advice on ways to help Russian-speaking immigrant students adjust to American schools. I first address teachers, such as those who work with students who recently emigrated from the former Soviet Union, who may be totally unfamiliar with their students' home culture. Such teachers need intercultural education skills to bridge important cultural differences and insure the academic success of immigrant children, as well as those children whose homegrown cultures clash with the dominant culture of U.S. schools. In addition, I argue that intercultural dialogue is an important and too often neglected component of multicultural education, so I am also addressing all who seek to improve teacher education programs by improving teachers' ability to educate all culturally diverse students, including both recent immigrants and native born students from diverse racial, ethnic, and social class backgrounds.