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DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND
MULTICULTURAL
EDUCATION
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MULTICULTURAL
EDUCATION (NAME) DEFINITION OF
MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION
Multicultural education is a philosophical concept built on the
ideals of freedom, justice, equality, equity, and human dignity as
acknowledged in various documents, such as the U.S. Declaration
of Independence, constitutions of South Africa and the United States,
and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United
Nations. It affirms our need to prepare student for their responsibilities
in an interdependent world. It recognizes the role schools can play in
developing the attitudes and values necessary for a democratic
society. It values cultural differences and affirms the pluralism that
students, their communities, and teachers reflect. It challenges all forms
of discrimination in schools and society through the promotion of
democratic principles of social justice.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MULTICULTURAL
EDUCATION (NAME) DEFINITION OF
MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION
Multicultural education is a process that permeates all aspects of school
practices, policies and organization as a means to ensure the highest
levels of academic achievement for all students. It helps students
develop a positive self-concept by providing knowledge about the
histories, cultures, and contributions of diverse groups. It prepares all
students to work actively toward structural equality in organizations and
institutions by providing the knowledge, dispositions, and skills for the
redistribution of power and income among diverse groups. Thus, school
curriculum must directly address issues of racism, sexism, classism,
linguicism, ablism, ageism, heterosexism, religious intolerance, and
xenophobia.
(http://www.nameorg.org/resolutions/definition.doc)
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.
To accomplish these goals, multicultural education demands a
school staff that is culturally competent, and to the greatest
extent possible racially, culturally, and linguistically
diverse. Staff must be multiculturally literate and capable of
including and embracing families and communities to create
an environment that is supportive of multiple perspectives,
experiences, and democracy. Multicultural education requires
comprehensive school reform as multicultural education must
pervade all aspects of the school community and organization.
Recognizing that equality and equity are not the
same thing, multicultural education attempts to
offer all students an equitable educational
opportunity, while at the same time,
encouraging students to critique society in the
interest of social justice.
Key Concepts to Guide the Study of Ethnic and Cultural Groups
1. Origins and immigration
2. Shared culture, values, and symbols
3. Ethnic identity and sense of peoplehood
4. Perspectives, worldviews, and frames of reference
5. Ethnic institutions and self-determination
6. Demographic, social, political, and economic status
7. Prejudice, discrimination, and racism
8. Intraethnic diversity
9. Assimilation and acculturation
10. Revolution
11. Knowledge construction
Banks, James A. 2008. An Introduction to Multicultural Education (4th ed., p. 59). Boston: Pearson.
PAUL GORSKI’S DEFINITION OF MULTICULTURAL
EDUCATION
• Multicultural education is a progressive approach for transforming education that holistically
critiques and addresses current shortcomings, failings, and discriminatory practices in
education. It is grounded in ideals of social justice, education equity, and a dedication to
facilitating educational experiences in which all students reach their full potential as learners
and as socially aware and active beings, locally, nationally, and globally. Multicultural education
acknowledges that schools are essential to laying the foundation for the transformation of
society and the elimination of oppression and injustice.
• The underlying goal of multicultural education is to affect social change. The pathway toward
this goal incorporates three strands of transformation:
• the transformation of self;
• the transformation of schools and schooling; and
• the transformation of society.
(http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/initial.html)
(SELF-)CRITICAL THINGS I WILL DO TO BE
A BETTER MULTICULTURAL EDUCATOR
• I will think critically about how my preferred learning styles impact my teaching style.
I am usually thoughtful about diversifying my teaching style to address the needs of
students with a variety of learning styles. Still, I tend to fall back on my most
comfortable teaching style most often. I will fight this temptation and work harder to
engage all of my students.
• I will affirm and model appreciation for all forms of intelligence and the wide variety
of ways students illustrate understanding and mastery of skills and knowledge.
• I will reflect on my own experiences as a student and how they inform my teaching.
Research indicates that my teaching is most closely informed by my own experiences
as a student (even more so than my pre-service training). The practice of drawing on
these experiences, positive and negative, provides important insights regarding my
teaching practice.
• I will encourage my students to think critically and ask critical questions about all
information they receive including that which they receive from me.
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/resources/self_critique.html
(SELF-)CRITICAL THINGS I WILL DO TO BE
A BETTER MULTICULTURAL EDUCATOR
• I will challenge myself to take personal responsibility before looking for fault
elsewhere. For example, if I have one student who is falling behind or being
disruptive, I will consider what I am doing or not doing that may be contributing to
their disengagement before problematizing their behavior or effort.
• I will acknowledge my role as a social activist. My work changes lives, conferring
upon me both tremendous power and tremendous responsibility. Even though I may
not identify myself as a social activist, I know that the depth of my impact on society
is profound, if only by the sheer number of lives I touch. I must acknowledge and
draw on that power and responsibility as a frame for guiding my efforts toward
equity and social justice in my work.
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/resources/self_critique.html