In recent times, debates on cultural and linguistic diversity have remained on the sidelines of education reform efforts. This marginalisation is widely interpreted as a reflection of persistent patterns of coercive power relations in society. An analysis of the educational outcomes of students from culturally and linguistically diverse groups highlights how power relations in society influence the negotiation of identity between educators and students. Within this framework, in societies characterized by unequal power relations between groups, pedagogy is never neutral; interactions between educators and students either reinforce coercive power relations or promote collaborative relations. Efforts at educational reform that ignore the intersections of power and pedagogy will inevitably tend to reinforce coercive power relations. Issues of equity and education have been hotly debated for the past 30 years. In different circumstances and at different times, proponents of assimilationist, multicultural and anti-racist orientations have all proclaimed "equity" as their primary consideration in promoting diversity. At the specific language level, all the arguments have been made about the benefits for pupils learning English in various forms of bilingualism, as a support for their mother tongue (ELL) or as a second language in addition to their mother tongue (ESL).