Mixed Culture In Scholl

713 Words3 Pages
Immigration has been in the past and will be in the future a main feature of American societies. Today, the successful integration of migrant children in American schools and societies is both an economic necessity and a pre-condition for democratic stability and for social cohesion.. The education (formal, informal or non-formal) of children, adults and community leaders can play a vital role in this process. Since early American history, schools, like society, have addressed cultural diversity in different ways. In the colonial days, some attempts to adjust to cultural differences were made in the New York colony, but the dominant American culture was the norm in the general public, as well as most of the schools. As America approached the nineteenth century, the need for a common culture was the basis for the educational forum. Formal public school instruction in cultural diversity was rare, and appreciation or celebration of minority or ethnic culture essentially was nonexistent in most schools. In the 1930's, the educators were in the progressive education movement, called for programs of cultural diversity that encouraged ethnic and minority students to study their heritage's. This movement became popular in many schools until around 1950. Now, these days in education, the term multicultural education never escapes a teacher's thoughts (Ryan, 26). What does the term "multicultural education" mean to you? It means different things to different people. For instance, to some minority communities, it means to foster pride and self- esteem among minority students, like the progressive movement in the 1930's. Another example would be in the white communities, that multicultural programs are designed to cultivate an appreciation of various cultural, racial, and ethnic traditions. Cortes defines multicultural education by the process by which schools help prepare
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