This phenomenological multi-case study sheds light into what early-service teachers encounter while working in today’s multicultural and multilingual learning settings. This year-long study is comprised of interviews with five teachers from four schools in the midwestern United States. Participants were recruited by school district administrators as educators with an expressed commitment to teaching for social justice and diversity. This dissertation offers the voices of teachers of culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms, demonstrating how they experience navigating cultural and linguistic difference, reflect on learning to teach for diversity and social justice, and share experiences with K-12 practitioners and leaders as they take on teaching and learning with an equity lens. The theme of teaching for diversity and social justice is presented in Chapter 1, which includes relevant literature, a discussion of the theoretical perspective, research structure and a preview of findings and contributions of each following chapter. Chapter 2, Navigating cultural and linguistic difference: A multi-case study of how teachers experience supporting their diverse learners, is an empirical article that focuses on what teachers encounter while supporting learners from diverse cultural backgrounds and who speak languages other than English. Chapter 3, Learning to teach for social justice and diversity: One teacher’s journey of becoming an educator committed to supporting culturally and linguistically diverse students, is another empirical article that showcases one teacher’s journey in learning to teach for diversity and social justice. Chapter 4, Learning from experience(s): What five educators can teach us about working in culturally and linguistically diverse settings, is a practitioner piece intended for K-12 education community members. This dissertation highlights how participants experience teaching in culturally and linguistically diverse settings, offering perspectives and considerations for how K-12 educators are prepared in diversity and social justice education. This research demonstrates the tensions of doing this work and portrays its real-life messiness. Stories of educators who are undertaking the work and experiencing some success are especially valuable to help teachers realize that they are not alone, and that shortcomings and setbacks do not mean they do not also have successes that are worth celebrating and building on.