s, 1986). Creating an empowering school culture for students of color and low-income students involves restructuring the culture and organization of t
Yes, but working in this type of setting I must say there needs to be work done beyond the school before majority of the students experience a positive change. That is why I think it's important that we define the role of schools, and legitimate the social rules that have been added to schools over the years.
ues. Re- searchers have been investigating the characteristics of children's racial attitudes since the 1920s (Lasker, 1929). Since the intergroup education movement of the 1940s and 1950s (Miel with Kiester, 1967; Trager & Yarrow, 1952), a number of investigators have designed interventions to help students to develop more positive racial attitudes and valu
This sounds interesting. I'd be curious to know if it findings differed by region and if so, if any links were found.
If multicultural education is to become better understood and imple- mented in ways more consistent with theory, its various dimensions must be more clearly described, conceptualized, a
Hear, hear! Terms today are misleading or immediately misunderstood because of poor labeling. This needs to be amended!
. Because of its forensic and polarized na- ture, the current acrimonious debate about the extent to which the his- tories and cultures of women and people of color should be incorporated into the study of Western civilization in the nation's schools, colleges, and universities has complicated the quest for sound definitions and clear disciplinary boundaries within the field (Asante, 1991; Asante & Ravitch, 1991; Ravitch, 1990; Schlesinger, 199
The intense debate regarding this is baffling to me. It feels like a contest for who is discussed more, but history is a story, and like all good stories there are multiple perspectives. I can see how people can be concerned by how much emphasis is put on one group than another, but perhaps that is the issue in and of itself. Objectivity should be aimed for, those who were involved were those who were involved regardless of sex or ethnicity.
n the field. In her view, theory development has outpaced development in practice, and a wide gap exists between the
A point I hadn't considered and holds truth. This is definitely a statement to hold onto for me.
The heated discourse on multicultural education, especially in the pop- ular press and among nonspecialists (Gray, 1991; Leo, 1990; Schlesinger, 1991), often obscures the theory, research, and developing consensus among multicultural education specialists about the nature, aims, and scope of the fie
This is an issue not unique to multicultural education and is frustrating. The reason behind misinformation varies greatly, but is an issue that needs to addressed as a society and should be held as an offense since it can effect lives and have terrible impacts.
At the same time, those visions of obedience and patriotism that are often and increasingly associated with this agenda can be at odds with democratic goals.
I agree there is a danger to this as agendas can be enforced, but that is why I believe there needs to be an agreement of rules and an understanding of strict definitions to safeguard students.
Critics note that the emphasis placed on individual character and behavior obscures the need for collective and often public sector initiatives; that this emphasis distracts attention from analysis of the causes of social problems and from systemic solutions; that volunteerism and kindness are put forward as ways of avoiding politics and policy (Barber, 1992; Boyte, 1991; Westheimer and Kahne, 2000; Kahne and Westheimer, 1996).
I disagree. If a person is taught character and morals, then it leads naturally on acting collectively as a group. Volunteerism doesn't distract from issues, it introduces them and informs people on how some are handling the issue. This can then inspire reformation.
This is especially true of the character education and community service movements, both of which are well-funded efforts to bring about these particular kinds of reforms. We find this emphasis an inadequate response to the challenges of educating a democratic citizenry.
I disagree to a point. The issue lies in that there is no room to grow in these categories. Instead of separating these three types of democratic education practices it would make more sense to combine them in grade levels. For example, start primary school with education from the perspective of character education, then community service for middle school, and social justice for high school.
As many theorists of democracy make clear, it is fundamentally important that theprocess respect the varied voices and priorities of citizens while considering the evidence of experts, the analysis of government leaders or the particular preferences of a given group or of an individual leader.
Agreed. There is a responsibility to hear, investigate, and understand the "varied voices" of citizens while also not losing sight of evidence by professionals.
Other writers, frequently those on the left, place a greater emphasis on the need for social critique and structural change (Shor, 1992; Friere, 1970). Alternatively, those with an often conservative vision of citizenship education put forward a connection between citizenship and character (Bennett, 1995; 1998; Bennett, Cribb, & Finn, 1999). Rather than viewing problems in need of attention as structural, they emphasize problems in society caused by personal deficits. Some educators reflect the liberal vision of citizenship embedded in John Rawls’ (1971) writings, aiming, for example, to recognize the varied perspectives of the good that exist in a pluralistic society. What citizens require, in this view, is preparation for a society characterized by “durable pluralism” (see Strike, 1999). Still other visions emphasize preparing informed voters, preparing individuals for public deliberation, and preparing students to critically analyze social policies and priorities. Indeed, there exists a vast and valuable array of perspectives on the kinds of citizens democracies require and the kinds of curricula that can help to achieve these aims (see, for example, Callan, 1997; Fine, 1995, Gutmann, 1986; Soder et al., 2001; Youniss & Yates, 1997).
These ideas are not mutually exclusive. Perhaps the problem is the push to shepherd students to the left or right rather than allowing them to reach a conclusion for themselves. Or perhaps there is a misconception being taught that there is no middle ground when we know that's where people generally fall on topics/issues.
This is an aspect of education I do believe teachers should be cautious of. We are there to educate and as such introduce ideas, but where do we draw the line? At what part of our teaching do we overstep on a parents' duty or right?
We titled this article "What Kind of Citizen?" to call attention to the spectrum of ideas about what good citizenship is and what good citizens do that are embodied by democratic education programs nationwide.
This is exactly the thought process that led me to pursue a master's. I think as a country we need to come to an agreement on the purpose of our education system. This may sound impossible with all the different theories and politics involved, but we can at least begin defining education on the points we agree on as a collective.