Group items tagged

"Multicultural education means different things to different people. However, the differences are not as great, confusing, or contradictory as some critics and analysts claim. Many of these differences are more semantic than substantive, a reflection of the developmental level in the field and the disciplinary orientation of advocates. One should expect people who have been involved in a discipline or educational movement for a long time to understand and talk about it differently from those who are new to it. Similarly, educators who look at schooling from the vantage point of sociology, psychology, or economics will have differing views of the key concerns of schooling. Yet, these disparate analysts may agree on which issues are the most critical ones. Such differences over means coupled with widespread agreement on substance are naturally found in discussions of multicultural education. But this diversity should not be a problem, especially when we consider that multicultural education is all about plurality. The field includes educational scholars, researchers, and practitioners from a wide variety of personal, professional, philosophical, political, and pedagogical backgrounds. Therefore, we should expect that they will use different points of reference in discussing ethnic diversity and cultural pluralism. Yet, when allowances are made for these differences, a consensus on the substantive components of multicultural education quickly emerges. Such agreement is evident in areas such as the key content dimensions, value priorities, the justification for multicultural education, and its expected outcomes. Only when these fundamentals are articulated do variations emerge. Some advocates talk about expected outcomes, while others consider the major determining factor to be the group being studied; the arena of school action is the primary focus for one set of advocates, and still others are most concerned with distinctions between theory and practice. Some people

"Multicultural education is more than just teaching about "heroes and holidays" (Lee et al., 1998). It goes beyond teaching tolerance of differences, and it is much deeper than studying or celebrating Black History Month in February. So, what is multicultural education? To answer the question, we must first understand the goals, definitions, and a predominant model of multicultural education (Banks, 1998). Although I am not an adult basic educator, multicultural education as it is studied, conceptualized, and practiced in K-12 and higher education is applicable to adult basic education as well. In the next sections, I review the goals of multicultural education and provide a theoretical framework for implementing multicultural education into adult basic education programs. "

As state-defined standards of learning and standardized tests become more and more closely identified as measures of achievement, not only for students, but also for teachers, administrators, schools and school districts, teachers are feeling less empowered to employ creative means for make their curricula more inclusive and accessible to all students. Even as the Internet and other new educational media broaden classroom access to a virtually endless stream of new resources, perspectives, and interactive capabilities, most curricula are necessarily built around textbooks and standardized tests. These and other contextual factors highlight some of the formidable challenges to any process of curriculum transformation. An additional set of challenges emerges when one attempts to develop a process for curriculum transformation within a multicultural education paradigm. One such challenge is a set of critiques regarding multicultural education, usually coming from educational conservatives. (These critiques and responses to them are listed here.) A second challenge is a lack of training or preparation on the part of teachers for developing inclusive multicultural curricula, and a lack of training or preparation on the part of administrators to support teachers in such efforts. This section of the Multicultural Pavilion will serve as a starting point for teachers who, despite these challenges, are determined to create a more inclusive, multicultural curriculum for their students.

This study examines the scholarly literature identified by multicultural teacher educators in the United States as most influential to their work. More than 200 multicultural teacher educators were surveyed about the books and the journals that have most influenced the ways they conceive and practice multicultural teacher education (MTE). Responses were tabulated, creating lists of the most-identified books and journals. These lists were analyzed around three primary questions: (1) What do these data suggest about the philosophical frameworks and operationalizations of MTE among multicultural teacher educators?; (2) What do they reveal about the issues multicultural teacher educators consider more or less integral to MTE?; and (3) What might they uncover about the "null curriculum" of MTE? Findings suggest that, in contrast with much of the existing scholarship, MTE practitioners do engage with critical approaches to MTE, even if this might not be reflected consistently in their practice, and that MTE practitioners identify more strongly with literature concerning race and racism than with that concerning other identities and oppressions. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Just as there are several conceptualizations for multicultural education (see Defining Multicultural Education), there are several perceptions as to what constitutes multicultural curriculum transformation. Approaches for multicultural curriculum transformation range from slight curricular changes to a fully-revised social awareness and action conceptualizations. James Banks (1993), Peggy McIntosh (2000) and others have formulated continuums for curricular reform that help move transformation efforts from the former toward the latter. The following stages of curriculum transformation have been adapted from several existing models including those by Banks (1993) and McIntosh (2000).

"This guide to over 50 web sites was created to assist multicultural educators in locating educational resources on the Internet. World wide access to multicultural information and current events in other regions makes the Internet an important educational tool. Teachers through the internet have access to lesson plans, on-line photo galleries, stories, maps, virtual field trip, international radio programming, and e-mail pen pals. In the multicultural classroom these resources can be used to create thematic units. Other sites, such as those devoted to art and geography can supplement an existing lesson. Many of the sites listed are source sites with lessons, pictures, problems and quizzes on-line, and other sites are Index sites which provide extensive links related to a subject of interest. Teachers should keep in mind that the Internet is a temporary resource, and sites move and change rapidly. A listing of professional organizations for multicultural educators is also provided. Highly recommended sites are marked by an "*"."

"The Journal of Multiculturalism in Education is a peer reviewed professional research journal whose primary purpose is the collection and dissemination of Multiculturalism in Education research, theory, and practice on all multiculturally related aspects of primary, secondary, and post-secondary education around the world."

This resource gives you access to Chapter 1. Definitions of Multicultural Education from Reissman's (1994) book titled "Evolving Multicultural Classroom".

In the United States, where technological progress is portrayed as humanistic progress, computer technologies often are hailed as the great equalizers. Even within progressive education movements, such as multicultural education, the conversation about instructional technology tends to center more on this or that wonderful Web site or piece of software than on equitable access to these technologies. In this article, the author challenges people working at the intersections of multicultural and instructional technology, insisting that our first concern must be the elimination of digital inequities. It is only when we reframe the dominant

The site, sponsored by EdChange and completely free of charge, contains resources related to education equity and multicultural education for educators, students, and activists. It includes free print-outs, an international listserv, classroom activities, and other resources.

This resource provides a brief overview of the four approaches to multicultural curriculum reform (Banks, 1999).

EdChange is a team of passionate, experienced, established, educators dedicated to equity, diversity, multiculturalism, and social justice. With this shared vision, we have joined to collaborate in order to develop resources, workshops, and projects that contribute to progressive change--change in ourselves, our schools, and our society.

NAME is a non-profit organization that advances and advocates for equity and social justice through multicultural education. Objectives: * To provide opportunities for learning in order to advance multicultural education, equity and social justice. * To proactively reframe public debate and impact current and emerging policies in ways that advance social, political, economic and educational equity through advocacy, position papers, policy statements and other strategies. * To provide the preeminent digital clearinghouse of resources about educational equity and social justice.

In the current climate of increasing nativism and intolerance as reflected in recent anti-affirmative action and English-only initiatives, and increasing acts of racist violence,(n1) we should anticipate that the racial divide will intensify in our schools as it has in the larger society. Yet teacher education, like higher education generally, often seems oblivious to the magnitude of this problem. By and large, teacher education does not require a serious study of race relations or critical multicultural education as preparation for teaching in our multiracial and racially divided society (Zeichner and Hoeft, 1996). Where multicultural education courses are offered, race is often marginalized under the multicultural umbrella (Kailin, 1996; McCarthy, 1995; Ng, et.al., 1995). In this article I will argue that to properly prepare teachers to teach in our schools and communities we need to incorporate an anti-racist perspective in teacher education.

It's not just an add-on or an afterthought. Curriculums infused with multicultural education boost academic success and prepare students for roles as productive citizens.

"The North Central Regional Laboratory (1995) has developed the following checklist to determine the quality of a school's multicultural practices: "

"We must address the deeply ingrained inequities of today's schools by asking difficult questions related to equity and access."

A consensus panel of interdisciplinary scholars worked over a four-year period to determine what we know from research and experience about education and diversity. The panel was cosponsored by the Center for Multicultural Education at the University of Washington and the Common Destiny Alliance at the University of Maryland. The panel was supported by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and chaired by James A. Banks. The 12 major findings of the panel, which are called essential principles, constitute this publication. They are presented in this Executive Summary. This publication also contains a checklist designed to be used by educational practitioners to determine the extent to which their institutions and environments are consistent with the essential principles.

MMEP is a multi-sector collaborative, dedicated to having educators, public officials, philanthropists, business people, nonprofits, students and parents at the table. MMEP focuses its work on kindergarten through postsecondary education and promotes a continuum of support at all levels. MMEP is a multicultural organization dedicated to having the diversity of Minnesota communities represented in all components of the organization. MMEP's financing structure requires that one third of its core operating budget come from membership fees, one third come from a state appropriation and one third come from grants. The Implementation Working Group has the ability to adjust the work plan of the organization whenever it is necessary to assure appropriate advocacy and programming on behalf of Minnesota communities of color. The work of MMEP is as dedicated to the process of collaboration as it is to its programs/products.

Two major premises are developed in this discussion. One is that many students of color are disproportionately assigned to special education because educators lack knowledge about or appreciation for their cultural values and socialization, and how these affect learning behaviors. The other premise is that the educational quality of students of color in both special and regular education can be improved significantly by using instructional programs and practices that reflect their cultural heritages, experiences, and perspectives. Several components of this ``culturally responsive teaching'' are explained, along with some research findings about its effects on student achievement. These include critical cultural consciousness of teachers; culturally pluralistic classroom climates; diverse communities of learners; and multicultural curriculum and instruction. The author concludes that without culturally responsive teaching education can never be the best it should be for students who are not part of the majority and mainstream of schools and society.