Multiculturalism in the Schools

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay's first paragraph. As an agent of societal and individual growth, schools play an important role in the community, and multiculturalism plays an important role in the schools. Many researchers agree that there is a need to include multicultural values and concepts in the classroom in order to benefit all students. Many researchers in the past few years have addressed the following issues regarding multicultural education and this literature review will focus on these same questions: • What is multicultural education? • How can multiculturalism be promoted in the classroom? • Who should be exposed to multiculturalism and why? • Why do teachers avoid using multicultural practices? This article is available in The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research: http://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur/vol2/iss1/3 Multiculturalism in the Schools By: Tina Bianchi Part I: A Review of the Literature As an agent of societal and individual growth, schools play an important role in the community, and multiculturalism plays an important role in the schools. Many researchers agree that there is a need to include multicultural values and concepts in the classroom in order to benefit all students. Many researchers in the past few years have addressed the following issues regarding multicultural education and this literature review will focus on these same questions: • What is multicultural education? • How can multiculturalism be promoted in the classroom? • Who should be exposed to multiculturalism and why? • Why do teachers avoid using multicultural practices? What is multicultural education? One researcher refers to multicultural education as a teacher's promotion of "a more in-depth understanding of other cultures that exist within our own society." 1 By studying human values universally, students can better understand what it means to be a compassionate human being. Talcing a diverse approach can also convey values as they are derived from group membership. Another proposal describes multicultural education as an "educational strategy in which students' cultural backgrounds are viewed as positive and essential in developing classroom instruction and school environments." The word ' strategy' implies that a multicultural education is a plan to be carried out, and therefore implies a more active approach to including diversity in the classroom. In this view, cultural concepts are supported in a school setting. How can multiculturalism be promoted in the classroom? In order for a curriculum to be truly multicultural, racial , ethnic, and gender issues must be identified and stereotyping of these groups must be countered. Often times, curriculums are too centered on the majority population. "One strateg_r . .is to broaden the curriculum to include more about underrepresented people of color." When integrating multicultural material, however, it is important to ensure the authenticity of those materials. Comparatively, people of color have fewer opportunities to write and publish than do Caucasians and, as a result, people of color are often represented through stereotypes and misconceptions. Valid portrayals are necessary throughout the curriculum. As one article indicates, "Respect for cultural differences should be taught all the time, not reserved for the ' culture of the week." "' Although multicultural researchers deem it important, it seems the curriculum has not been revised to meet this need of schools. "There is virtually no literature regarding multicultural curriculum modification .. . the focus is primarily on verbal interaction rather than instructional methodologies." s A good deal of this research advocates the use of multiculturalism in the classroom. "Literature is one of the best ways to learn about various cultural and ethnic groups." 6 Literature provides a vicarious learning experience for its readers by drawing him or her into a character's situation. This almost forces the reader to actively worry about the choices a character will make and the outcome of those choices. The Indiana Project, a cooperative community project to promote multicultural education, studied the interaction of three Indiana communities, one predominantly white,