During the 1960's and 1970's, because of wide-spread dissatisfaction with traditional public schooling, there was a dramatic increase in the number of alternative schools in the United States. One such school, the Cluster School (1974-1980), a democratically-run, high school program in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was the site for the first systematic application of Lawrence Kohlberg's theories of "just community" and "moral reasoning development." This thesis is a case study of ten teachers (including the author) who worked in the Cluster School. Using information collected through in-depth interviews with the teachers, it examines such matters as the formative moral influences in their lives, and the reasons why they joined the School. It then explores the ways in which being members of Cluster's "adult community," which included Kohlberg, influenced their own development. The thesis contends that, among other reasons, the teachers were attracted to the School because they had come from backgrounds where moral questions were accorded importance, and that once there, they created a supportive environment which promoted adult growth. The Introduction defines the thesis and its methodology, and includes a discussion of the author's role as a participant observer in the study. Chapter 2 discusses the theoretical underpinnings of the School, defines the School's governance structure and gives an overview of the School's history. Chapter 3 presents the biographies of the teachers, each of which is followed by a summary of the salient points found in the biography. Chapter 4 addresses six recurring themes which emerge from the teacher interviews and suggests their interrelatedness to one another. Chapter 5 compares the moral atmosphere of Cluster's host school with that of Cluster, and concludes that the teachers, although somewhat inadvertently, created for themselves a supportive community which encouraged their own growth and development. The chapter closes with recommendations for staff development.

The U.S. population is rapidly diversifying, with the expectation that culturally diverse groups---including students---will outnumber European Americans by the year 2050. In contrast, public school teachers are expected to remain largely middle class, female, and Caucasian. Most multicultural education research has focused on cultural diversity in urban education settings. However, a gap in the literature has existed regarding student diversity and teachers' culturally responsive teaching in predominantly rural areas. In this study, Appalachian elementary school teachers shared their perspectives and experiences on effective multicultural teaching. An important gap has been bridged by using a 3-part theoretical framework, based on critical reflection, scaffolding, and perspective taking, related to the main research questions regarding (a) the qualities and experiences that in-service public school teachers possess that allow them to effectively teach students from a variety of backgrounds, and (b) what in-service teachers suggest for improving teacher preparation to meet the challenges of cultural diversity in schools. A qualitative, phenomenological approach anchored in a constructivist paradigm was used to gather voice data via a digital voice recorder from 8 participants. Semi structured, open-ended interviews were conducted to collect the data, followed by transcription and analysis. Data analysis resulted in the discovery of 5 themes related to the research questions and revealed mapping onto the conceptual framework. Social change implications can result in improved teacher education programs in rural areas and can enhance collaboration with professional development schools to improve pre-service teacher preparation for teaching diverse students.