Issues in Multicultural Education Dionne Golden EDU 230 5/11/2014 Jamie Morris Issues in Multicultural Education Student population in the United States has become culturally diverse, so it is imperative that educators provide an equitable education for all students. Cultural pluralism must be the goal in education in all educational experiences provided to students. This paper will explore concerns and challenges in multicultural education in the United States. Some of the things that pose a problem in multicultural education are; intuitional and programmatic reform, in particular the politics, teacher recruitment and how to address the increase of a culturally diverse student population, and what an effective teacher education program would do for multicultural education. The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics data revealed, one of every three students enrolled in elementary and secondary schools today is of racial/ethnic minority background.
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.
The Advantages of School Uniforms. Many schools in the United States are at odds over school uniforms. In many cases, when uniforms are imposed students feel that their rights are being taken away. However, there are many advantages of school uniforms. One could, probably, highlight an obvious advantage – alignment and avoidance of social conflicts in school that can be generated on the basis of the families’ wealth.
Mary Adams Mr. O’seland ENGL 1113/0179 5, December 2011 Hot Topic Essay In recent years, many schools across the United States have adopted uniforms for their students to help create a safer environment and to direct their attention away from “what’s hot” in fashion to academic performance. A majority of the schools are only implementing uniforms because of the possible benefits from doing so. They base this decision only on the positive statistics recorded from other schools. However, there are plenty of negative statistics that show that uniforms in public schools may not be such a good idea. So the question is, should uniforms be worn in public schools?
After reading the article I understand that content integration in the curriculum is only the first dimension of multicultural education. Students come to school with prejudices toward different groups and that is why all teachers, whether you teach math or social studies, should be sensitive to that matter and work towards reduce prejudice in their classrooms and school and create a more positive racial attitude among the students. It is in the hands of educators to encourage students to become more critical readers and thinkers, and help them understand the values that underline knowledge. Students need construct their own knowledge and think for themselves. Teachers need to help students understand the implicit cultural assumptions and perspectives of the discipline they’re teaching.
Implementing School Uniforms Implementing school uniforms will increase academic performance and reduce behavioral problems. While this is a temporary solution to the permanent problem of getting students to strive for achievement, the implementation of school uniform policies, especially at this pivotal point in time in our countries future, is one way we could help young people to realize their potential thru improving the over all quality of education in our country. While students and parents face many daily struggles that distract them from more important things, financial issues can be sited as one of the biggest struggles facing families and individuals these days. School uniforms provide a low cost alternative to expensive designer clothing. Students whose parents can’t afford expensive clothing can be spared the harsh words and jeers from their peers, allowing them to blend in instead of being singled out as poverty stricken or less fortunate then others, thus giving all the students the outward appearance of equals.
A recent study conducted in schools from frenchtoast.com was to see if the schools had as improved the tolerance and sense of belonging, to increased safely and academic performance. These studies have shown that a fixed dress code does promote good behavior and helps students achieve higher test scores. However, parents have expressed concerns because their child or children are not allowed to express who he or she truly is. (BlueSuitMom) Another issue that has many people worried throughout the United States is the rising cost of these uniforms to stay in compliance with the schools dress codes. Many cities like Long Beach, California, Dade County, Florida, and Houston, Texas in which the school itself provides two to three
Multiculturalism in the Classroom Marietta Miller ECE 405: Children and Families in a Diverse Society Instructor: Kristen Crocker December 19, 2011 Multiculturalism in the Classroom As an educator it is important that we learn everything possible about the children we will be teaching, there will be children from various countries with various cultures and it is important that they do not feel as though they are any less important than the children with the same cultural background as the teacher is. I chose to write about Hispanic decent because they are one of the fastest-growing ethnic minorities in the United States. Numbering about 22.4 million in 1992, they make up the second largest minority in the nation, African Americans being the largest. About 60 percent of these Hispanics trace their origin to Mexico. It is not uncommon to walk down the streets of an American city today and hear Spanish spoken.
So, I made up my mind to take an initiative to resolve this dilemma. Let’s take a look at school uniform pros and cons. Schools Uniform Pros: Let us see the pros of college uniforms (These are mostly from the PTA point of view). School uniforms are a good way to keep up a level of social equality amongst the students of public schools: The idea of knowing the social background is avoided. As such, personal biases aren’t formed and merit is the simplest deciding factor.
Recent research (Ward, 2006 ) demonstrates that separating students into small size classes by their different levels is better for literacy instruction in elementary schools. Truly, in that case, teachers can design customized lessons to meet the needs and interests of class members. In addition, detailed feedback can also be immediately imparted to better control the gap between each student. However, the overall effect of small classes is not as evident as we imagine. According to statistics launched by NAEP examination, the reading score of students from different grades stayed at a stable level from 1971 to 1996, though the class sizes experienced a downward trend in the shared period.