This book offers a unique perspective on what every educator, parent, and community leader should know about reaping the rich harvest of our diverse schools. Included are anecdotes from Kugler's personal experience as well as information from 80 interviews with key educators, parents, and students.

Many parents search for a 'good' school to enroll their children. They look at the school's standardized test scores and check out demographic statistics, but fail to investigate the strengths of these schools that have a vibrant mix of races and cultures. Eileen Gale Kugler offers a unique perspective on what every educator, parent, and community leader should know about reaping the rich harvest of our diverse schools. This book provides guidance on how we can all work together to dispel the myths and nurture the opportunities that these schools offer such as academic challenge and social advantages. Anecdotes from Kugler's personal experience are included as well as information from 80 interviews with key educators, parents, and students. This book stands alone as a resource that pulls all of this information together. Will be of interest to anyone who cares about education. See Wendy Burt-Thomas's interview with author Eileen Kugler at askwendy.wordpress.com/?s=kugler

Part 1 Foreword by Gary Orfield
Part 2 Preface
Part 3 Acknowledgments
Part 4 Introduction
Part 5PART 1 THE MYTHS THAT POISON OUR THINKING ABOUT DIVERSE SCHOOLS
Chapter 61 Myth 1: The best School for My Child Is the One with the Highest Standardized Test Scores
Chapter 72 Myth 2: One Style of School Leadership Will Work in Every School
Chapter 83 Myth 3: The Best Teachers Prefer Homogeneous Middle-Class Schools
Chapter 94 Myth 4: Diverse Schools Can't Provide Rigorous Classes
Chapter 105 Myth 5: Diverse Schools Are Not Safe
Chapter 116 Myth 6: Family Beliefs and Values Will Be Threatened If We Expose Our Youth to People with Different Perspectives
Chapter 127 Myth 7: Minority Parents Don't Care about the Education of Their Children
Part 13PART 2 THE REALITIES OF DIVERSE SCHOOLS AND OF OUR SOCIETY
Chapter 148 School Reality 1: Students with Different backgrounds and Experiences Bring New Insights to the Classroom
Chapter 159 School Reality 2: Students Who Closely Interact with People from Different Backgrounds Learn That Reality Extends beyond Their Own Limited Experiences
Chapter 1610 School Reality 3: Stereotypes and Prejudice Break Down When Students Have Personal Contact with Members of Other Races and Cultures
Chapter 1711 Society Reality 1: Our Youth Must Learn How to Actively Participate in a Diverse National and International Society
Chapter 1812 Society Reality 2: Our Nation's School Population Is Becoming More Diverse, but Our Schools Are Becoming More Segregated
Chapter 1913 What about the Schools Near Me?
Part 20PART 3 HOW TO REAP THE RICH HARVEST OF OUR DIVERSE SCHOOLS
Chapter 2114 What's My Role?
Chapter 2215 School Boards: Leading Their Community
Chapter 2316 Superintendents: Visionaries with a Collaborative Spirit
Chapter 2417 Principals: Doing Whatever It Takes
Chapter 2518 Teachers: Reaching for Every Child
Chapter 2619 Parents: The Critical Connection
Chapter 2720 Students: What It's All About
Chapter 2821 Community Members: Closing the Loop
Part 29 Conclusion
Part 30 Epilogue
Part 31 Bibliography
Part 32 About the Author