The Light in Their Eyes

In this 10th Anniversary Edition of her popular text, Sonia Nieto reviews where we have been and where we should be going in our pursuit of creating multicultural learning communities in our schools. With a new Introductory Chapter and a new Epilogue, Nieto addresses some of the changes we have experienced during the past decade that help explain the current sociopolitical environment—our increasing diversity, the altering conditions in schools and in society, the influence of poverty on learning, and the impact of NCLB on classrooms and schools. This updated edition of The Light in Their Eyes:

• Focuses on the significant role of teachers in transforming students’ lives.
• Considers recent theories, policies, and practices about the variability in student learning and culturally responsive pedagogy.
• Examines the importance of student and teacher voice in research and practice.
• Provides an update, in their own words, on former students whose journal entries were included in the first edition.

Praise for the First Edition!

"A spirited, provocative defense of multicultural education." —Choice

"In this important and thought-provoking book, Sonia Nieto reaffirms her reputation as one of the leading theorists in multicultural education." —Rethinking Schools

"Perhaps once every 5 years, one is fortunate enough to read a scholarly book that is as hard to put down as a good novel, yet is brimming with profound insights on virtually every page. Nieto has written such a book." —TESOL Quarterly

“Offers a comprehensive and convincing argument for multicultural education.” —Harvard Education Review

“For educators in a multicultural program, and for veteran and novice teachers, Nieto’s book would be invaluable.” —Childhood Education

Sonia Nieto is professor emerita of language, literacy, and culture at the College of Education, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is the bestselling author of The Light in Their Eyes, 10th Anniversary Edition, Why We Teach, and What Keeps Teachers Going? She is the recipient of the 2019 LRA Distinguished Scholar Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2021 Mass Humanities Governor's Award. She received the 2024 Multistate Association for Bilingual Education (MABE) Lifetime Service Award. In 2024, she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

“For educators in a multicultural program, and for veteran and novice teachers, Nieto’s book would be invaluable.”

—Childhood Education

“In search of a critical community, Sonia Nieto combines respect for what children bring to school with a desire to awaken each one and tap into their passion for learning.”
—Maxine Greene

Congratulations to Sonia Nieto, winner of the 2024 Multistate Association for Bilingual Education (MABE) Lifetime Service Award

Sonia Nieto, Winner, 2019 LRA Distinguished Scholar Lifetime Achievement Award