Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural Education

Preventing prejudice and improving intergroup attitudes: A meta-analysis of child and adolescent training programs

This study examined the effectiveness of role playing and antiracist teaching to reduce the racial prejudice of students. Meta-analysis was used to integrate findings from studies examining those strategies. Studies were located according to predetermined criteria, summarized, and the results converted to a standardized score, or “effect size.” Twenty-six relevant studies were located, yielding 43 effect sizes. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to interpret the effect-size data. Through multiple-regression techniques, 65% of the variance was explained, and several moderating variables were found to influence the strategies' effectiveness. The results indicate that role playing and antiracist teaching significantly reduce racial prejudice, and they do not differ from each other in their effectiveness. The implications of the results for education policy and future research are discussed.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/27541868.pdf

Effectiveness of Role Playing and Antiracist Teaching in Reducing Student Prejudice.

This article examines how secondary English teachers in two racially diverse schools – one in Massachusetts, USA, the other in Ontario, Canada – described their knowledge of and practices for teaching about race and racism. The extent and quality of teachers’ racial literacy knowledge and practice were considered in light of the literature on racial literacy, racial literacy instruction, and anti‐racist education. Three approaches to racial literacy instruction were identified: apprehensive and authorized; incidental and ill‐informed; and sustained and strategic. The paper explores the strengths and weaknesses of teachers’ knowledge and skills in order to suggest content and structures for professional development in support of racial literacy instruction.

English teachers' racial literacy knowledge and practice

I offer an historical overview of the production and treatment of human difference and diversity in Ontario school policy and practices. With a focus on the identity of state and student, I identify five distinct patterns that have characterized the educational treatment of difference and diversity, and argue for the continuing interrogation of how difference is produced and treated in schools. Although my evidence is derived from Ontario, the conclusions may be useful for scholars and professionals grappling with issues of difference and diversity in other school contexts.

Difference and Diversity in Ontario Schooling.

Multicultural education has been the subject of intense criticism since the early 1970s. Most criticism has come from the advocates of anti-racist education. At the same time, anti-racist education has been subjected to very little scrutiny. This paper examines some conceptual, empirical, and political limitations of anti-racist education. Most educators consider the current curriculum to be apolitical. Although it is the case that all education is political education, anti-racist education is viewed as being too political. Anti-racist education tends to be reductive—victims of discrimination are usually referred to as “black,” whereas perpetrators are “white” — and narrowly conceived to refer only to institutional racism. Finally, many of the anti-racist interventions reported show negligible and even negative results. Depuis le debut des annees 70, l’education multiculturelle fait l’objet de vives critiques, surtout de la part des partisans d’une education antiraciste. Pour sa part, l’education anti- raciste a ete tres peu commentee. Dans cet article, les auteurs examinent certaines lacunes conceptuelles, empiriques et politiques de l’education antiraciste. La plupart des educateurs estiment que les programmes d’etudes actuels sont apoli- tiques. Bien qu’en fait toute education soit politique, l’education antiraciste est consideree comme trop politique. L’education antiraciste a tendance a etre reductionniste — les vic- times de discrimination etant habituellement designees comme des “Noirs” et les coupables comme des “Blancs” — et a ne s’occuper par definition que du racisme institu- tionnel. En outre, un grand nombre des interventions antiracistes signalees donnent des resultats negligeables et parfois meme negatifs.

/pdf/a-critical-examination-of-anti-racist-education-4e9yskb9ve.pdf

A Critical Examination of Anti-Racist Education

Racism in Canadian Schools: Untested Assumptions

A l'aide d'un modele factoriel 3 X 3 (developpement moral par traitement), on a teste l'effet des discussions au cours desquelles sont jugds les differents principes sur les attitudes des eleves envers des groupes frdquemment sujets a discrimination et l'action reciproque entre ces discussions et le developpement moral. On a, au hasard, soumis I ce traitement 118 6lMves de 9e annee d'une ecole de grande ville; les professeurs y ont de la meme facon etd soumis dans le cadre du d6veloppement moral. On a dvalue leurs attitudes envers les femmes, les handicapes physiques et les natifs du continent indien en utilisant un inventaire Likert comprenant 45 questions. L'analyse multivari6e de la variance des resultats posterieurs au traitement ont revel des diffdrences significatives dans l'attitude envers les handicapes physiques a la fois pour le traitement et le d6veloppment moral; on n'a pas enregistr6 d'autres differences significatives. Ces resultats indiquent une certaine reserve quant A l'utilisation de discussions au cours desquelles sont jug6s les diff6rents principes comme m6thode de changement d'attitudes envers des groupes sujets a discrimination. On a admis que les attitudes des dlaves envers les femmes et les natifs du continent indien dtaient d6ja fond6es en raison de discussions et d'expdriences antdrieures. A l'oppos6, les cas de discrimination a l'agard des handicapes physiques peuvent etre plus nouveaux.

John Kehoe

Papers

A Critical Examination of Anti-Racist Education

Racism in Canadian Schools: Untested Assumptions

The Effects of Principle-Testing Discussions on Student Attitudes towards Selected Groups Subjected to Discrimination.