Bill Stout, Ed.D.
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To provide all students with the skills,
attitudes, and knowledge needed to function
within their community cultures, within and
across other ethnic cultures.
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In the 19th century, most immigrants came
from Europe. Today, most immigrants come
from nations in Asia, Latin America, and the
Caribbean. It is the largest influx of
immigrants since the 1900’s.
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It is projected the Hispanic population will
grow by 187.9 percent between 2000 and
2050.
White population 32.4
212.9 percent for Asians
71.3 for African Americans
(U.S. Census Bureau, 2000)
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Minorities constitute the majority of students
in more than 20 of the country’s largest
school systems
The average achievement of minority
students is lower than their EuropeanAmerican peers
Minority children are disproportionately
referred to programs for children with
learning disabilities, mental handicaps, and
emotional and behavioral disorders
If you could fit the entire population of the
world into a village consisting of 100 people,
maintaining the proportions of all the people
living on Earth, that village would consist of:
57 Asians
21 Europeans
14 Americans (North, Central and South)
8 Africans
There would be:
 52 women and 48 men
 30 Caucasians and 70 non-Caucasians
 30 Christians and 70 non-Christians
 89 heterosexuals and 11 homosexuals
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6 people would possess 59% of the wealth
and they would all come from the USA
80 would live in poverty
70 would be illiterate
50 would suffer from hunger and malnutrition
1 would be dying
1 would own an computer
1 (yes, only one) would have a university
degree
If we looked at the world in
this way, the need for
acceptance and
understanding would be
obvious.
In making multicultural education a reality in
schools, a change process may need to take
place. Dr. Jody Spiro in her book, “The Leader
Change Handbook: Concepts and Trends”,
gives us insight into the change process.
Action steps to be considered in the change
process:
 Be clear and specific as to the desired outcome
 Start from where you are and analyze all
stakeholders
 Build in an early win
 Anticipate resistance
 Use collaborative planning
 Build in on-going monitoring
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Lack of awareness of services
Reluctance on the part of the students to
communicate their needs to others
A lack of classmate acceptance
A general suspicion that culturally diverse
students are being deceptive about their
needs
Banks (1999) described the following as characteristics of multicultural
schools (p. 17)
The teachers and school administrators have high
expectations for all students and positive attitudes
toward them. They also respond to them in
positive ways.
2. The formalized curriculum reflects the experiences,
cultures, and perspectives of a range of cultural and
ethnic groups as well as both genders.
1.
The teaching styles used by the teachers match the
learning, cultural, and motivational styles of the
students.
4. The teachers and administrators show respect for
the students’ first languages and dialects.
5. The instructional materials used in the school show
events, situations, and concepts from the
perspectives of a range of cultural, ethnic, and
racial groups.
3.
The assessment and testing procedures used in the
school are culturally sensitive and result in students
of color being represented proportionately in class
for the gifted and talented.
7. The school culture and the hidden curriculum
reflect cultural and ethnic diversity
8. The school counselors have high expectations for
students from different racial, ethnic, and language
groups and help these students to set and realize
positive career goals.
6.
Time
Space
Dress and Food
Rituals and
Ceremonies
Work
Leisure
Gender Roles
Status
Goals
Education
Interaction
Communication
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A growing number of students entering
school are learning English as a second
language
Teachers hold four common misconceptions
about how to reach these students
 Exposure and interaction will result in English language
learning
 All ELLs learn in the same way and rate
 Good teaching for native learners and ELLs are the same
 Effective instruction means non-verbal support
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Minority students’ language and culture are
incorporated in the school program
Minority community participation is encouraged
Instruction is used to motivate students to use
language actively to generate knowledge
Professionals involved in student testing are
advocates for minority students
Academic problems are located outside of the
student instead of within the student
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School policy and
attitudes
School staff
School culture
Formalized curriculum
Assessment and
teaching procedures
Instructional materials
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Learning styles for the
school
Teaching styles and
strategies
Language and dialects
of the school
Counseling program
Community
participation and input
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Understanding U.S. Macroculture (Banks &
Banks, 1995)
 Equality of opportunities for individuals in society
 Individualism
 Social Mobility through individual effort and hard
work
 Individualistic attitudes toward values and
behaviors
 Belief in nation’s superiority
 Orientation towards materialism
1.
2.
3.
Do the lesson content and strategies promote educational
equity? For example, does the lesson content help to
create an inclusive curriculum, one that attempts to
maximize student participation in the overall class
curriculum?
Do the lesson content and strategies make us of, or help to
develop, collaborative, empowering relationships among
parents, students, and teacher?
Do the lesson content and strategies promote cultural
pluralism in society or intergroup harmony in the
classroom?
4.
5.
6.
Does the lesson content help to increase the students’
knowledge of various cultural and ethnic groups, including
their own?
Do the lesson content and strategies increase the students’
proclivity and ability to see and think with a multicultural
perspective?
Does the lesson content (a) help to correct distortions in
the historical, literary, or scientific record that may stem
from the historical racism or other forces linked to the
oppression and exploitation of specific ethnic and cultural
groups, and (b) present material in a manner that suggests
that racism related distortions are or may be part of the
historical and scientific record the class is studying?
7.
8.
Does the lesson content provide knowledge or skills, or
promote attitudinal development, that will leave the
students better equipped and more inclined to participate
in, help improve the democratic institutions of their
society?
Does the lesson content contribute to the students’
willingness to cross ethnic and cultural boundaries to
participate and/or learn about different cultural ethnic
groups?
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Develop cultural
consciousness
Be aware of your cultural
background
Develop cultural variability
Set high expectations
Resist the blame game
Reflect on teaching practices
Gather information about
students
Understand first and second
language acqusition
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Understand the interaction
among language, culture, and
disability
Respect student’s cultural
background
Use integrated approach to
instruction
Build trust
Use a variety of instructional
strategies
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Alternative test formats
Extended time
Alternative access to oral and written
material, and course substitutions
Work with the student and ask what
accommodations they had in the past and
which ones worked the best
Take time at the beginning to develop a
rapport with the student you will be working
with…get to know the student
Encourage the
students to highlight
directions
 Make lists of important
facts
 Use index cards
(summarize chapter
sections)
 Highlight key
terms/phrases in the
chapters
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Teach the student to
recopy their class notes
before the end of the
day
 Break reports into
smaller sections
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Develop a homework
schedule
 Encourage the student
to ask a peer if they
could make a copy of
their class notes
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Help the student make
an outline of the
chapter
 When giving
explanations/reviewing
the assignments, give
one direction at a time
(need time to process
the request and their
answer)
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Keep instructions
simple
 Ask the student to
repeat the directions
 Be concrete when
giving examples
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Talk to the student, not
“down to the students”
1.2
2.2
2.4
3.3
4.2
Connects content to life experiences of student.
Uses contextual data to design instruction relevant
to students.
Plans instructional strategies and activities that
address learning objectives for all students.
Values and supports student diversity and addresses
individual needs.
Implements instruction based on diverse student
needs and assessment data.
5.4
6.3
8.1
Describes, analyzes, and evaluates student
performance data to determine progress of
individuals and identify differences in progress
among student groups.
Integrates student use of available technology into
instruction to enhance learning outcomes and meet
diverse student needs.
Identifies students whose learning could be
enhanced by collaboration.
Banks, James A. (2008). An Introduction to Multicultural Education (pp. 91 – 93).
Boston, MA: Pearson.
Burnette, Jane, & Warger, Cynthia (August 2000). Five Strategies to Reduce
Overrepresentation of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students in Special
Education. Council for Exceptional Children. Retrieved August 8, 2009 from:
http://www.cec.sped.org
Language Support for Students in the Home and in School. The Education Alliance.
Retrieved August 8, 2009 from : http://www.alliance.brown.edu
New Strategies to Help Diverse Students Succeed. Council for Exceptional Children.
Retrieved August 8, 2009 from: http://www.cec.sped.org
Strategies for Teaching Culturally Diverse Students. Teacher Vision. Retrieved
August 8, 2009 from: http://teachervision.fen.com
www.eric.hoagiestgifted.org/Strategies to reduce overrepresentation of culturally
and linguistically diverse students in special education
www.teachervision.fen.com/teaching-methods/resources/Strategies for Teaching
Culturally Diverse Students
www.maec.org.instprac.html. Effective Instructional Practices for Language
Minority Students.
www.ericdigests.org/pre-9220/problems/empowering culturally and linguistically
diverse students with learning problems