Closing the Racial Achievement Gap: The Best Strategies of
the Schools We Send Them To by Pedro Noguera /
Education Rights / In Motion Magazine.
America expects a lot from its frequently maligned public
schools but we do relatively little to make it possible for
schools to meet our expectations. Our schools are expected
to educate the neediest children and are blamed when
students whose most basic needs for housing, nutrition and
healthcare are not met, do not do as well academically as
more privileged children. Our politicians want schools that
will enable the United States to maintain its economic and
technological dominance in the world, even though we
continue to pay teachers salaries that make it unlikely that
our top college students will enter the profession. We
expect schools to provide students with the knowledge,
understanding and frame of mind to participate intelligently
in civic life, but increasingly the curriculum is so focused
on preparing students for state mandated exams that there is
little time for critical thinking on topics like war and
civil liberty, that are essential to our democratic order.
We call upon our schools to play a role in solving a wide
variety of problems that confront our nation, from global
warming and substance abuse, to sexually transmitted disease
and race relations, yet we rarely provide the resources
schools need to even come close to meeting these challenges.
Given our unrealistic and unfair expectations, it is hardly
surprising that schools typically disappoint and fall short
of the unrealistic goals that have been set.
...more
Bibliographies
ADL Recommended
Books
This list of children’s books is
intended for educators, parents and other caregivers of
early childhood and elementary aged children. Reading the
children’s books listed on this site is an excellent way to
reinforce themes addressed in A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE®
Institute, ADL’s international anti-bias education and
diversity training program. Reading multicultural literature
has the potential to foster children’s understanding and
respect for their own and others’ cultural groups, to
develop empathy, and, in general, to begin the lifelong
process of learning about multiple perspectives and
experiences.
Anti-Racism for Activists: a Bibliography
This is the beginning of a bibliography of anti-racist
resources, particularly those that focus on dealing with
racism and oppression in activist communities. Radical
Reference members, please add to it, just keep your
citations alphabetical and in the same style.
Cultural Competence
National Center for Cultural Competence (NCCC)
The mission of the National
Center for Cultural Competence (NCCC) is to increase the
capacity of health and mental health programs to design,
implement, and evaluate culturally and linguistically
competent service delivery systems.
The Center for Effective Collaboration
The Center for Effective
Collaboration hosts a Cultural Competence page at (http://cecp.air.org/cultural/default.htm).
This page provides a general overview of Cultural Competence
including a brief annotated bibliography and a discussion of
how Cultural Competence is integrated into education.
Curriculum
Curriculum Guidelines for Multicultural Education
Prepared by the NCSS Task Force on Ethnic Studies Curriculum
Guidelines
Adopted by NCSS Board of Directors, 1976, revised 1991
Publishing a revision of Curriculum Guidelines for
Multicultural Education is especially appropriate and timely
because of the significant increase in the nation’s
population of people of color that has occurred since they
were published sixteen years ago. The percentage of people
of color in the nation will continue to rise throughout the
early decades of the next century. Indeed, the 1990 census
revealed that one out of every four people who live in the
United States is a person of color and that one out of every
three people will be a person of color by the turn of the
century. Likewise, the ethnic and racial makeup of the
nation’s classrooms is changing significantly. Students of
color constitute a majority in twenty-five of the nation’s
largest school districts and in California, our most
populous state with a population of thirty million people.
Students of color will make up nearly half (46 percent) of
the nation’s school-age youth by 2020, and about 27 percent
of those students will be victims of poverty.
Criteria for Evaluating State
Curriculum Standards
National Association for Multicultural Education The population of the United States of America
has been multicultural since its inception. Moreover, the
longstanding status of the U.S. as
an economic world power draws persons from across the globe
who contribute further to its multicultural character. This
historical and contemporary diversity has considerable
implications for the work of educators in the nation’s
schools. Specifically, state curriculum standards designed
to guide public education need to include the particular
contributions, distinct heritages and values, as well as the
multiple ways of knowing that represent our diverse
population. Curricula should be designed to facilitate the
development of individuals who appreciate the complexity of
the human condition and who can effectively negotiate the
diverse cultural contexts of U.S.
society. Such individuals must acquire critical
understanding and appreciation of their own cultural
heritage as well as the cultural heritages of the diverse
groups that are represented in our collective national
identity. Similarly, through curricula and school-based
experiences individuals should become critically engaged
with the principles of social justice for all people.
Ultimately, curriculum standards must do far more than
simply stress the multicultural composition of the
United States. Rather they must also
outline classroom practices that help educators impart the
knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for
individuals to participate fully and meaningfully in our
multiethnic and multiracial society. To this end, the
National Association for Multicultural Education has
established curriculum guidelines that respond to five key
concerns ....more
1. Omission: In spite of the fact that many excellent
multicultural books are finally being published, omission
continues to be one of the biggest problems in literature
for young readers today. Exclusion is one of the most
insidious and painful forms of bias; a group may be excluded
from an entire collection, or from the books selected for
use in a particular library, school district, school, or
classroom. The implicit message is that the group does not
exist, is insignificant, or has made no contributions to
society. Erasure is destructive not only to the group(s)
involved but to the larger society. ….more
Diversity Scans/Assessments
A Racial
Justice Report Card
A Racial Justice Report Card. A
school administrator wants to know if Latinos have the same
educational opportunities as other students in the school
district. Latino graduation rates are low, but what do the
numbers really mean?
Three African American parents discover that their kids, in
separate incidents, have each been suspended for
“disrespecting” their teacher. Are these isolated incidents
or are they indicative of a broader racial pattern?
Making the Grade can help answer that question. It is a new
tool to assess how your schools measure up to racial equity
standards. This easy-to-use computer program walks
journalists, parents, students, or teachers through a series
of research tasks. Making the Grade then produces an “A”
through “F” grade and explains where the school or district
is failing their responsibility to equal education.
What is multicultural education? Why is it important in
education today? The authors of Multicultural Teaching
define multicultural education broadly to include all types
of diversity as they generate an inclusive curriculum that
meets the individual needs of each student. Bringing theory
and practice together in a student-centered curriculum, they
encourage reflection and discussion through working with
Reflective Teaching Portfolios and Cooperative Learning
Groups at the end of each chapter. The text is based on a
strong model focusing on Esteem, Empathy, and Equity. Future
teachers are guided to consider the implications of such
topics as language diversity, the academic achievement gap,
and racism as they plan lessons designed to develop a
community of learners in their classroom.
Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W Loewen
ISBN: 9780684818863
Subtitle: Everything Your American History Textbook Got
Wrong
Touchstone Books - New York : Copyright: 1996
Americans have lost touch with their history, and in this
thought-provoking book, Professor James Loewen shows why.
After surveying twelve leading high school American history
texts, he has concluded that not one does a decent job of
making history interesting or memorable. Marred by an
embarrassing combination of blind patriotism, mindless
optimism, sheer misinformation, and outright lies, these
books omit almost all the ambiguity, passion, conflict, and
drama from our past
A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America
by Ronald Takaki
ISBN:0316831115
BACK BAY
An important work of revisionist history, this book explores
the minorities in America from the perspectives of minority
members themselves from the beginning of colonization of the
“New World” up to the present. In the voices of all
Americans, it grapples with the raw truth of American
history and examines the ultimate question of what it means
to be an American.
A DIFFERENT MIRROR is a wide-ranging exploration of the
minority experience in America told from the perspective of
the minorities themselves. Beginning with the colonization
of the “New World” and ending in the present, the book
recounts the history of America in the voices of non-Anglo
peoples—Native Americans, African Americans, Jews, Irish
Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, and others—who settled
in this country and helped to create its rich mosaic
culture.
Beyond Heroes And
Holidays: A Practical Guide To K-12 Anti-Racist,
Multicultural Education And Staff Development James W. Loewen (Contributor), Bill Bigelow
(Contributor), Margo Okazawa-Rey (Editor), Enid Lee
(Editor), and Deborah Menkart (Editor)
ISBN: 9781878554178
Publisher: Teaching For Change - Release Date: 2007-02-15
An incredible, informative, collection of essays, articles,
analysis, interviews, primary documents and interactive &
interdisciplinary teaching aids on civil rights, movement
building, and what it means for all of the inhabitants of
the planet. With sections on Critical Literacy, The Arts,
Mathematics, Technology, Science, Geography, Language,
School-Wide Activities, Holidays and Heritage, Talking Back,
Early Childhood, Readings and Teaching Aids. Packed into
nearly 450 oversize pages are photographs, songs,
statements, and work form the likes of such great writers,
historians, and activists as Bill Bigelow, James Loewen,
Peggy Mcintosh, Luis Rodirguez, Kai James, Clem Marshall,
Marta Urquilla, Julie Bisson, the editors and dozens more.
What a treasure trove. And what a vital (and useful) tool.
Turning on Learning: Five
Approaches for Multicultural Teaching Plans for Race, Class,
Gender and Disability, 4th Edition
by Carl A. Grant, Christine E. Sleeter
January 2006, Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-471-74657-7
This new Fourth Edition contains many lesson plans that
cover a variety of subject areas and grade levels (1-12), as
well as action research activities that investigate the
various dimensions of teaching. Many of the lesson plans are
written by actual classroom teachers, and all of them have
been examined by practicing teachers. More than simply a
“how-to” manual, it is designed to help the teacher or
teacher education student teach from a multicultural
perspective. Each lesson plan offers a “Before” version (the
lesson as it is usually taught) and an “After” version (how
the lesson can be improved to “turn on” learning). A
discussion explaining why the changes were made follows each
lesson plan.
Teaching Strategies for
Ethnic Studies, 7/E
James A. Banks, University of Washington, Seattle
Publisher: Allyn & Bacon
Copyright: 2003
Written by the leading authority in the field, the Seventh
Edition of this classic text has been reorganized and
updated to reflect current and emerging theory, research,
and scholarship in the fields of ethnic studies and
multicultural education.
Divided into five parts, the text emphasizes that the main
goal of the multicultural curriculum should be to help
students develop the ability to make reflective decisions so
that they can, through thoughtful action, influence their
personal, social, and civic worlds and help make them more
democratic and just.
The
Diversity Dictionary is intended to be used as an
educational tool. There are many applicable definitions to
these terms as well as numerous other terms which may not be
represented here. This list was not designed to serve as an
official Texas A&M University statement or definition.
Videos
Eye of the Storm
Jane Elliott
Elliott & Elliott Eyes, Inc.
26 minutes, 1970
Formats: VHS, NTSC or PAL, DVD
This Emmy award winning video chronicles Jane Elliott’s
famous exercise where she divides her third-grad class based
on the color of their eyes and bestows upon them privileges
and impediments
The Color of Fear The Color of Fear is an
insightful, groundbreaking film about the state of race
relations in America as seen through the eyes of eight North
American men of Asian, European, Latino and African descent.
In a series of intelligent, emotional and dramatic
confrontations the men reveal the pain and scars that racism
has caused them. What emerges is a deeper sense of
understanding and trust. This is the dialogue most of us
fear, but hope will happen sometime in our lifetime.
(running time: 90 minutes) from
StirFry Seminars
TRUE COLORS (cc)
In this startling expose, ABC News Prime Time Live anchor,
Diane Sawyer explores skin color prejudice in America with
the help of two friends virtually identical in all respects
but one– John is white, Glen is black. Together they take
part in a series of hidden camera experiments exploring
people’s reactions to each in a variety of situations.
Acting within the scenario of moving to a new town, Prime
Time Live, undercover, follows John and Glen separately as
they each try to rent an apartment, respond to job listings,
purchase a car, and conduct everyday activities such as
shopping. The responses in both the white and racially mixed
communities are shocking and consistent. In every instance,
John is welcomed into the community while Glen is
discouraged by high prices, long waits, and unfriendly
salespeople.
Diane Sawyer concludes TRUE COLORS with a discussion with
John and Glen about the outcome of these experiments and
their experiences with discrimination in daily life.
Not In Our Town This series is for anyone concerned with
ending prejudice and inspiring community involvement.
30 minutes
Discussion Guide
$99.00
THE WORKING GROUP VIDEO CATALOG
Not In Our Town tells the uplifting story of how the
residents of Billings, Montana, joined together when their
neighbors were threatened by white supremacists. Townspeople
of all races and religions swiftly moved into action.
Religious and community leaders, labor union volunteers, law
enforcement, the local newspapers and concerned individuals
stood united and spoke loudly for a hate-free community,
proclaiming in no uncertain terms “Not In Our Town!” This
critically acclaimed PBS special sparked a national campaign
against hate crimes that continues to grow each year.
What we now call multicultural education originated in the
1960s in the wake of the civil rights movement as a
corrective to the long-standing de facto policy of
assimilating minority groups into the “melting pot” of
dominant American culture (Sobol, 1990). Multicultural
education has captured almost daily headlines in recent
years, as it has become an ever more contentious and
politicized battleground. To cite just two instances,
attempts to establish multicultural curricula in New York
City and California were the subject of considerable public
attention. In the debate over New York’s Children of the
Rainbow curriculum, opponents such as Arthur Schlesinger,
Jr. (1991) argued that multicultural education threatened to
divide students along racial and cultural lines, rather than
unite them as Americans. California’s curriculum was met
with strong attacks from both opponents and proponents of
multicultural education; depending upon one’s perspective,
the curriculum either carried diversity too far, or merely
bolstered the traditional curriculum’s Eurocentric biases (Kirp,
1991; King, 1992).
Benefits of racial diversity in K-16 education
School Diversity
We are committed to generating and synthesizing research on
key civil rights and equal opportunity policies that have
been neglected or overlooked.Why Segregation Matters:
Poverty and Educational Inequality
Gary Orfield and Chungmei Lee. January 13, 2005 One of the
common misconceptions over the issue of resegregation of
schools is that many people treat it as simply a change in
the skin color of the students in a school. If skin color
were not systematically linked to other forms of inequality,
it would, of course, be of little significance for
educational policy. Unfortunately that is not and never has
been the nature of our society. Socioeconomic segregation is
a stubborn, multidimensional and deeply important cause of
educational inequality.
Multicultural
Education Connecting Theory to Practice
by Allison Cumming-McCann
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.
15
Misconceptions About Multicultural Education
The movement toward multicultural education has gained
momentum over the past 20 years. Guidelines from
professional organizations have been in place for some time.
While many elementary educators support multicultural
development and genuinely try to incorporate diverse
cultural issues into the curriculum, some widespread
misconceptions about what multicultural education is and how
it should be implemented hinder the process.
A Synthesis of Scholarship in Multicultural Education by Geneva Gay 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.
Definitions
Teaching Strategies in Multicultural Education Dena Wagner
Classrooms today are becoming increasingly diverse. Teachers
must consider not only race and ethnicity, but also issues
such as gender, substance abuse, homophobia, teen pregnancy,
and homelessness. These issues all have implications within
a multicultural classroom. Sadker and Sadker (2002)
illustrate the diversity of children in today’s society with
the following example of merging these very issues into a
classroom of thirty students:
Multicultural Education: An Overview
Reprinted from Highlights Parent Involvement Program -
Teacher Resource Book.
This overview of Multicultural Education is provided by Pam
Hart, an elementary educator and doctoral student in the
multicultural education program at the University of
Washington, Seattle, Washington, where she studies with
Professors James A. Banks and Geneva Gay, recognized leaders
in this field. Pam has given many presentations and
workshops on aspects of multicultural education, including
“Multicultural Learning Through the Arts.”
Definitions of Multicultural Education by Rose Reissman
The goal of multicultural education is an education for
freedom. . . . Multicultural education should help students
to develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills to
participate in a democratic and free society. . . .
Multicultural education promotes the freedom, abilities and
skills to cross ethnic and cultural boundaries to
participation in other cultures and groups.
MCE Definitions: National Association for Multicultural
Education (NAME)
Numerous definitions of multicultural education have been
proposed or espoused by scholars, researchers and
organizations over the past 30 years. To assist researchers,
teachers, educators, and parents in understanding and
implementing multicultural education, the National
Association for Multicultural Education defines
multicultural education below.
Legislation - States with
Multicultural Education Laws/Regulations ( list in progress, please report
any additions to
bill@billhowe.org)
Alabama (AL)
Alaska (AK)
Arizona (AZ)
Arkansas (AR)
California (CA)
Colorado (CO)
Connecticut (CT)
Delaware (DE)
District of Columbia (DC)
Florida (FL)
Georgia (GA)
Hawaii (HI)
Idaho (ID)
Illinois (IL)
Indiana (IN)
Iowa (IA)
Kansas (KS)
Kentucky (KY)
Louisiana (LA)
Maine (ME)
Maryland
(MD)
Education That is Multicultural
and Achievement (ETMA)
The Maryland State Department of Education implements a
State Regulation (COMAR
13A.04.05), expanded in 1995 and revised in 2005, that
requires all local school systems to infuse Education That
Is Multicultural into instruction, curriculum, staff
development, instructional resources, and school climate.
It also requires the Maryland State Department of Education
to incorporate multicultural education into its programs,
publications, and assessments.
Education That Is
Multicultural is defined as "a continuous, integrated,
multidisciplinary process for educating all students about
diversity and commonality. Diversity factors include, but a
not limited to race, ethnicity, region , religion, gender,
language, socioeconomic status, age, and individuals with
disabilities. Education That is Multicultural prepares
students to live, interact, and work creatively in an
interdependent global society by focusing on mutual
appreciation and respect. It is a process which is
complemented by community and parent involvement in support
of multicultural initiatives."
13A.04.05.00 13A.04.05.00. Title 13A STATE BOARD OF
EDUCATION Subtitle 04 SPECIFIC SUBJECTS Chapter 05 Education
That is Multicultural Authority: Education Article,
§2-205(c) and (h) Annotated Code of Maryland
13A.04.05.01 13A.04.05.01. 01 Scope.. A. Assurance of
success for all students in Maryland is dependent upon
quality and equity in education, which empowers students to
make decisions on important social and personal issues, and
take action to help solve them. The intent of this chapter
is to provide for local school systems' guidelines and goals
for education that is multicultural, that will enable the
school systems to provide curricula, instruction, staff
development, and instructional resources that are
13A.04.05.02 13A.04.05.02. 02 Definitions.. A. In this
chapter, the following terms have the meanings indicated..
B. Terms Defined.. 1) "Bias" means a mental leaning or
inclination, or partiality.. 2) "Commonality" means a
sharing of common features, characteristics, or traits, or
all of these.. 3) "Cultural groups" means groups that
identify by the factors of race, ethnicity, region,
religion, gender, language, socioeconomic status, age, or
disability.
13A.04.05.03 13A.04.05.03. 03 Programs.. A. Public
schools shall include as part of curricular and program
offerings appropriate instruction for developing knowledge,
understanding, and appreciation of cultural groups in
society.B. The State Department of Education shall provide:.
1) Staff development and other forms of technical assistance
to help with implementation of this chapter;2) Criteria, for
use by local school systems in evaluating and selecting
instructional materials and assessments for schools,
13A.04.05.04 13A.04.05.04. 04 Goals.. A. The
guidelines in §B―D of this regulation have been developed to
assist local school system personnel in the design,
management, implementation, and evaluation of education that
is multicultural in the context of the 5-year master plan
and master plan annual update cycles. The guidelines are
divided into three areas of curriculum, instruction, and
staff development, each of which includes a goal statement
and objectives.B. Curriculum.. 1) Goal. To provide Pre-K
13A.04.05.05 13A.04.05.05. 05 Criteria for
Instructional Resources.. A. Goal. To provide instructional
resources which assists students in demonstrating an
understanding of and appreciation for cultural groups.B.
Selection of multicultural resources includes all of the
following minimal criteria:. 1) Materials that avoid
stereotyping, discrimination, bias, and prejudice;. 2)
Materials that reflect the diverse experiences relating to
cultural groups and individuals;.
13A.04.05.06 13A.04.05.06. 06 Planning and
Implementation.. A. Each local school system shall
incorporate into the master plan and master plan annual
updates information relating to the progress toward
achieving the goals and guidelines set out in Regulations
.03―05 of this chapter.B. The Department shall review each
master plan or master plan update within established
timelines to determine whether the plan or plan update
complies with the requirements of Education Article, §5-401,
Annotated Code of Ma
13A.04.05.07 13A.04.05.07. 07 Tests and Assessments..
All tests and assessments administered by or through the
Department shall include strategies and content that are
multicultural in each subject area and reflect the student
diversity and commonality factors described in Regulation
.01B of this chapter.
13A.04.05.08 13A.04.05.08. 08 Monitoring and
Reporting.. A. The State Superintendent of Schools shall
designate staff to conduct monitoring to review, assess
progress, and determine needs and deficiencies of the local
boards of education in implementing the requirements of this
chapter.B. Beginning March 1, 2006 and every 3 years
thereafter, the State Superintendent shall report the
results of the Department monitoring to the State Board, to
the Governor, and to the members of the General Assembly.
13A.04.05.9999 13A.04.05.9999. Administrative History
Effective date: July 29, 1970. Regulations .02―04 adopted
effective December 14, 1979 (6:25 Md. R. 1983). Regulations
.01―03 amended, Regulation .04 repealed and new Regulation
.04 adopted effective January 15, 1989 (15:27 Md. R.
3132)Regulations .01―04, Ethnic and Cultural Minorities,
repealed effective November 8, 1993 (20:21 Md. R. 1656)
―Regulations .01―07, Education That is Multicultural,
adopted effective November 8, 1993 (20:21 Md. R. 1656)
Massachusetts (MA)
Michigan (MI)
Minnesota (MN)
Mississippi (MS)
Missouri (MO)
Montana (MT)
Nebraska (NE)
Nevada (NV)
New Hampshire (NH)
New Jersey (NJ)
New Mexico (NM)
New York (NY)
North Carolina (NC)
North Dakota (ND)
Ohio (OH)
Oklahoma (OK)
Oregon (OR)
Pennsylvania (PA)
Rhode Island (RI)
South Carolina (SC)
South Dakota (SD)
Tennessee (TN)
Texas (TX)
Utah (UT)
Vermont (VT)
Virginia (VA)
Washington (WA)
West Virginia (WV)
Wisconsin (WI)
Wyoming (WY)
Teaching Strategies
Diversity Within Unity: Essential Principles for Teaching
and Learning in a Multicultural Society- by James Banks
What do we know about education and diversity and how do we
know it? This two-part question guided the Multicultural
Education Consensus Panel that was sponsored by the Center
for Multicultural Education at the University of Washington
and the Common Destiny Alliance at the University of
Maryland. The Panel reviewed and synthesized research
related to diversity during a four-year period. The Panel’s
work was supported by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation
of New York. The panel members are specialists in race
relations and multicultural education.
....more
Guidelines for
Identifying Bias in Curriculum and Materials
This handout from Safe Schools Coalition is
in pdf format, page size 8.5 x 14 inches.
