ISSUES IN SYSTEMIC REFORM FOR CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY DIVERSE STUDENTS

The ethnic and linguistic diversity of U.S. schools has grown signific antly in the last two decades. Such diversity provides distinct new ch allenges for school reform efforts. New policy and federal programs, p articularly exemplified in Title VII of the 1994 reauthorization of th e Elementary and Secondary Education Act, attempt to address this chal lenge. This act calls for integrated and comprehensive programming bas ed on a new empirical and conceptual Knowledge base, which has emerged in the last decade. This article addresses the demographic circumstan ces of student diversity, the emerging knowledge base, and the related federal educational reform policy changes related to these issues.