By Jana Cunningham, University of Utah Communications Specialist

In the era of standardization and rigid accountability, educator and best-selling author Sonia Nieto will explore why teachers chose to work in public schools, Monday, March 9, 4:30 p.m. at the University of Utah. Sponsored by the College of Education, Neito’s lecture will be held in the Art Works for Kids Auditorium of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts and Education Complex, 1720 Campus Center Drive, followed by a reception and book signing.

Nieto will discuss her latest book, “Why They Teach Now,” a sequel to her 2005 book “Why We Teach,” which addressed conditions in schools and public education that have dramatically changed in the past decade. A compilation of essays written by teachers across the nation, “Why We Teach Now” features stories about their struggles, frustrations, hopes and dreams.

Currently professor emeritus in the College of Education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Nieto has devoted her professional life to questions of diversity, equity and social justice in education. Her research focuses on multicultural education, teacher education and the education of students of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, topics on which she continues to write and speak. She has received numerous awards for her scholarly work, teaching and advocacy, including four honorary doctorates. Nieto has written or edited 11 books including the best‐selling “Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural Education,” a textbook widely used in teacher education programs around the nation and beyond.

Photo credit: A Loving Eye Photography