Lack Of Multicultural Education In The United States

The purpose of this paper is to inform our readers of how a multicultural education benefits children. How can teachers create a multicultural learning community, and how can teachers help guide children

Currently, general education classrooms have increasingly become diverse with both disable students and students from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. In order for educators to ensure that they effectively teach these classrooms, meet the needs of each student both successfully and individually, effective research that is based on strategies need to be implemented. The U.S. Department of Education suggest that, the current school-age population is becoming more diverse as time passes, yet, majority of the teachers in these schools are white non-Hispanic women. According to another report by The Condition of Education in 2006, American schools are portraying increased diversity and growth. The report suggested that, forty two percent of students in public schools were ethnic or racial minorities in the year 2003; this increased from twenty two percent since 1972. Owing to these reasons, teachers in these schools are expected to educate a diversified class of students including those that come from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Teachers are therefore, required to implement a number of key strategies that will ensure that every student in specific classroom feels that he or she belongs there (Worrell, 2010).

The Author Marable defines “multiculturalism” as “the recognition that our nation’s cultural heritage that does not begin and end with the intellectual and aesthetic products of Western Europe, rather multiculturalism rejects the model of cultural assimilation and social conformity.” However, Multiculturalism is often been misinterpreted, Marable according to him said that, the “melting pot” never existed.

Districts could also assist in recruiting academically strong minorities to go into teaching and help to increase enrollment of minorities in teacher preparation programs. This will help in diversifying teacher staff.

The main arguments in this ERIC Digest article is that there is an increasing need of teachers of color, but the there are not enough minorities going into the teaching profession. The point of this article is to highlight the the unbalanced increase of minority students and the decrease of minority teachers in schools, and how the decrease of minority teachers affects both minority and non-minority students. The article goes on to highlight data about the number of minorities and whites who enter the education profession compared to the number that drop out of the profession after five years or so and their reasons for leaving.

A book review done by Desantis (2012) states that, “…describing the particular challenges facing white educators preparing to teach culturally or racially diverse classrooms. These difficulties can include an inability to identify the need for culturally relevant instruction, reluctance to speak openly about race in the classroom, and latent cultural racism held by teachers” (pg.285). By preparing teachers to be more culturally aware, whether they are working in a high ses or low ses school, it will make the difference. This will help students that are from low income families or of a minority be much more successful academically and won’t compare themselves to their affluent

The second scholarly article, Critical Race Theory and Whiteness of Teacher Education is written by Christine E. Sleeter. This article is about how teacher education can be changed by addressing the Whiteness within it and how the targeted audience can be challenged.

Teachers should understand the diversity spectrum that is in a classroom; there are cultures, races, languages, and socioeconomic backgrounds in classroom during the 21st century educational realm. Students need to acknowledge student’s diverse background specially when they arrive late in the school year.

The multicultural curriculum has its roots in the history of multicultural education which follows the history of the US civil rights movement (Fillion, n.d). The desegregation practices during the 1950s were established in order to provide equal education for all individuals, regardless of race or any other demographic considerations. The 1960s and 1970s, desegregation practices expanded to include application in seeking equity of all students in terms of their human rights (Banks, 2000). With the focus on human rights, multicultural concerns in education were considered, recognizing the importance of establishing awareness in a culturally diverse community. The changes in the teaching curriculum came under the collective heading of multiculturalism. These changes were also apparent in Britain and in Australia just as they were unfolding in the US (Lynch, 1983). The educational authorities recognized the fact that the curriculum must come from the social and the ethical concepts being seen in the multicultural setting. Various references to the inherent value of all human beings were also highlighted, and this attached value was also seen in the human rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s (Lynch, 1983). In these states, the focus was on acknowledging the need for the multicultural curriculum and for teachers to support and promote such a program. Research was then carried out and workshops with teachers implemented. Such actions were able to establish that even as

Multicultural education advocates the belief that students and their life histories and experiences should be placed at the center of the teaching and learning process and that pedagogy should occur in a context that is familiar to students and that addresses multiple ways of thinking. In addition, teachers and students must critically analyze oppression and power relations in their communities, society and the world (The National Association for Multicultural Education).

With the shifting cultural texture and demographics of the United States (Banks, 2006b; Irvine, 2003), redefining multicultural education has become imperative. There are many views on the benefits and/or shortcomings of the multiculturalization of education. The question is not whether a multicultural education should be adopted but it is rather what we understand from multicultural education and how we are going to initiate such a reform within an educational system when we cannot even define ‘multicultural.’ “The awareness of one’s own assumptions, prejudices and stereotypes is a first step to be able to positively interact and learn from others. In this process

When I was first presented this task of interviewing another educator, I was apprehensive because the concepts that are being addressed in the prompts are so important to a teacher’s personal teaching philosophy. These prompts almost appeared to be questions that one might hear at a job interview for a teaching position. I did not at first want to subject a colleague to these questions, as they require so much deeper though and inquiry from the teacher. That is why I first answered the questions myself. I feel that the responses to these questions are the center for a teacher’s approach to culturally responsive teaching.

Teachers and educators around the nation are increasingly demanding education reform and help from the government. With increased standardized testing, moral obligations of Technology, the degradation of parental support, and lack of teacher funding, it is easy to see why education has become a national issue. In the article the Need for More Teachers of Color, the author highlights these major issues that are vying for the top of teaching challenges.

Multicultural Education in the United States made its debut beginning with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s. Its intent was to become part of the cultural mainstream. The Civil Rights Movement brought to light the apparent concerns of discrimination, intimidation and inequality. During this period, pressure was placed on the Federal Government to examine their roles in the perseverance of inequalities when it came to Multicultural Education (Russell, Robert, The History of Multicultural Education, 2011). It can be compared to “Affirmative Action” where whites were asked to leave behind their own point of view and gain knowledge of the traditions of Multicultural groups (Taylor, Samuel. The Challenge of 'Multiculturalism'

In this signature assignment, I will discuss my understanding of multiculturalism in a pluralistic society. Furthermore, a portion of this essay will focus on Constitutional Right’s protecting basic educational freedoms as well as factors that affect public education in America. Lastly, I will conclude the assignment with suggestions for delivering a multicultural education in the future.