Includes bibliographical references (pages 167-172) and index.

Most people are keenly aware that every student is different and that classrooms challenge educators to build safe and successful learning communities for students whose races, languages, cultures, experiences, assets, and dreams vary greatly. This book offers K-12 teachers both the foundations for differentiating their instruction and the means to maximize learning opportunities by getting to know students beyond the labels and stereotypes that often accompany them into the classroom. The author shows how to use "highways and exit ramps" to reach the whole class, with "highway" content and "exit ramps" to specialize needs. Chapters offer numerous recommendations for modifying environments, activities, and assessments; for helping teachers move forward in their instructional planning; and for helping each learner grow academically. This book extends the author's previous work by looking more deeply at specific student populations to help educators create classrooms that are more inclusive than ever before. Chapters cover successful differentiation for English learners; students experiencing poverty; students with different ethnic, cultural, religious, and gender orientations; and students with diverse identified special needs. --,Provided by publisher.