Includes bibliographical references and index.

Preface -- The Author -- Introduction -- 1. Can Anybody Teach These Children? -- 2. Sojourners -- 3. They're Supposed to Learn Something -- 4. Nobody Wants to be Urkel -- 5. Apathy Is Not an Option -- 6. A Vision of the Promise Land -- Appendix A: Methodology -- Appendix B: The Teach for Diversity Program -- Notes -- Index

"Educating teachers to work well in multicultural classrooms has become an all-important educational priority in today's schools. In Crossing Over to Canaan, Gloria Ladson-Billings details the real-life stories of eight novice teachers participating in an innovative teacher education program called Teach for Diversity. Through their experiences, she illustrates how good teachers can meet the challenges of teaching students from highly diverse backgrounds - and find a way to 'cross over to Canaan." (Book Cover)