Using the example of the Hispanic population in the United States, Jeria claims that adult education has created invisible groups of students. Like Kazanjian as well as Atleo & James, Jeria emphasizes diversity awareness as a key to improving pedagogy. However, Jeria takes diversity further by incorporating issues related to social class and access to cultural capital. Cultural imperialism has clouded the perspectives of any students not considered part of the dominant culture. Even though Hispanic students comprise a large portion of the student bodies on many campuses in the United States, Hispanic students continue to remain invisible, marginalized, and ignored. They are excluded from the historical narratives of American identity. Hispanics are also marginalized in adult education, their needs obscured by overemphasizing their cultural and linguistic deficits.

Like Kazanjian, Jeria notes the...

Instead of focusing on religion as Kazanjian does, Jeria addresses the importance of culture and language. Discrimination and unequal access to economic and educational resources exacerbates the problems associated with marginalized Hispanic students of all ages. Moreover, Jeria claims that clinging to monolingualism is a systematic means of retaining Anglo-American cultural hegemony. Linguistic diversity is shunned in spite of an increasingly diverse student population. Jeria points out that the American educational system lumps together all non-native English speakers into the same category. The education of non-English speakers focuses on student deficits, rather than on student potential. According to Jeria, Kazanjian, Atleo & James, learning is a function of culture and identity, enhanced by exposure to diversity.