Showing papers in "Multicultural Education in 2011"

How Do I Teach Mathematics in a Culturally Responsive Way?: Identifying Empowering Teaching Practices.

Abstract: I am a middle-school mathematics teacher in an urban school. How do I teach mathematics in a culturally responsive way to my urban students? What does this mean? I know I am White and that my students’ culture is different from me. I also know that I am from a middle-class background and most of my students come from a poverty background. I know I have to respect my students’ culture by including and celebrating Black mathematicians and I do this, but my students are still not learning mathematics successfully. My principal says I am not teaching in a culturally responsive way. So I am confused. I do not know what culturally responsive mathematics teaching means? My goal for this course is to learn how to teach mathematics in a culturally responsive way. How do I teach mathematics in a culturally responsive way? (EuropeanAmerican teacher, Summer, 2008)

Maintaining Heritage Language: Perspectives of Korean Parents.

Abstract: Although it is a combination of many factors that impacts the maintenance or loss of HL, such as personal motivation and determination (Krashen, 1998), ethnic pride (Brown, 2003, 2009), availability of heritage language schools in communities (Shibata, 2000), and availability of HL at school (Cho & Krashen, 1998), studies have identified parental support and involvement as perhaps the most important factor related to successful maintenance of HL (Arriagada, 2005; Oh & Fuligini, 2007; Suarez, 2002, 2007). This is in large part because HL starts at home. Parents are the first HL contact for second generation immigrant children and the main source of HL for those children. Studies have reported that the communication at home between children and parents in these families is frequently if not usually conducted in the HL (Han, 2003). Children almost exclusively communicate in HL with their parents, while in contrast mostly speaking English with their friends. Thus parents alone seem to greatly influence maintenance of HL (Oh & Fuligini, 2007; Park & Sarkar, 2007). The literature also has identified ways in which parents involve themselves in maintaining HL (Arriagada, 2005; Kouritzin, 2000). For instance, parents regulate their children’s speech by declaring a “only mother tongue at home” rule, or by not responding to their children when they use English (Krashen, 1998). These parents also often send their children to Sunday HL school (Shibata, 2000; Shin, 2010). Shibata’s (2000) study shows that when there was a low visibility of a HL community in a small town, parents’ first choice in helping their children maintain HL was to establish a weekend school. ShiIntroduction

Building English Language Learners' Academic Vocabulary: Strategies and Tips.

Abstract: and Zwiers (2008), ELLs require assistance in developing content-related vocabulary in their second language if they are to experience success in school. Both native English speakers and ELLs need support in learning the language that is used in the classroom as part of instruction, reading, discussion, and assignments. Interweaving direct instruction in academic language helps students acquire an understanding of abstract concepts, multiple meaning words, and content vocabulary. When students are able to understand the vocabulary for the that content they are reading and hearing, they will have a better understanding of the material. While wide reading promotes vocabulary growth, ELLs who do not read enough cannot acquire the word wealth that would help them with language learning.

Factors Influencing Pre-Service Teachers' Beliefs about Student Achievement: Evaluation of a Pre-Service Teacher Diversity Awareness Program.

Abstract: The striking cultural disparity between teachers and many students has been acknowledged as a persistent, dangerous problem, and efforts have been made to buffer against its effects. Among the most common strategies to accommodate the growing diversity of the U.S. student body and the discordant culture of most teachers is the implementation of teacher diversity training programs in schools of education. Stemming from the principle that education, awareness, and sensitivity are crucial in eliminating discrimination, an increasing emphasis of teacher training has been to promote equity and justice in the classroom, leading to equal opportunities in subsequent institutions (Delpit, 2006).

Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and Barriers for Parents from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds.

Abstract: and terminology about placement and programming options. Above all, contradicting values which coexist in legal mandates and predominate the system of special education have contributed to underlying impediments to parents' full participation in the special education decision-making process (Kalyanpar et al, 2000). Specifically , the ideal of parental equal rights mandated by the laws suggests equity, individual rights, and freedom of choices, whereas the special education system, which is founded on rationalism, seems to require the objective and scientifically based knowledge of professionals. For this reason, professionals' knowledge and suggestions are regarded as more reliable and valuable sources than parents' subjective and anecdotal descriptions in the decision-making process (Harry, 1992; Kalyanpar et al., 2000). Furthermore, although there are these existing contradictions between the spirit of parental legal rights and the nature of the special education system, both of these concepts—the conceptions of individualism, equity, and self-advo-cacy guaranteed by law and in contrast the assumed expertise of professionals— typically represent Western mainstream values and behaviors. The entire IEP process in special education, including evaluation procedures, establishment of IEP goals, and parents' right precisely reflect these mainstream values. Therefore, White, middle and upper class families have significant advantages when interacting with special education personnel, utilizing the educational services and systems, and exercising their legal rights compared to CLD families Over the past decade, parental involvement in the special education process has been an important topic for many researchers. The passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (PL 94-142) in 1975, and more recently the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (PL 101-476) in 1990 (IDEA), both recognized familial involvement and family-professional collaboration as indispensable to developing Individualized Family Service Plan improved parents' roles and increased their opportunities for participating in their children's education as a member of the IEP team. A fundamental provision of the amendments to IDEA requires school professionals to involve parents of students with disabilities in the educational decision-making process, and to incorporate parents' knowledge of their children in the planning and designing of their children's educational services (Kalyan-par, Harry, & Skrtic, 2000). Under these amendments, parents have become equal partners with school professionals when deciding the educational issues on behalf of their children. Since those legislative changes, a mounting body of literature has emphasized the positive impact of parents' involvement on children's success in school, and proposed diverse strategies to promote and facilitate the collaboration between …

A Look at "Lookism": A Critical Analysis of Teachers' Expectations Based on Students Appearance.

Abstract: 350 elementary teachers in a large, urban district. Each teachers was given a color photo of each student along with the students’ progress reports. The participants were asked to predict, based upon the documents they were given, how a student would fare in terms of attitude, work habits, parental interest, and peer relations. They found that attractiveness may have influenced the teachers’ perceptions of students initially, but that the student’s record was the most influential factor. While this early research, now several decades old, is of interest and potential importance, the critical question currently is whether similar issues of student appearance play a gate-keeping role in teaching today. Whether photos or written records are influencing teachers’ expectations of students, both must be considered shortsighted and inappropriate ways to make judgments and are an invitation to exercise underlying and possibly even unconscious prejudices on the part of teachers.

Shared Success: Voices of First-Generation College-Bound Latino/as.

Abstract: Noah Borrero is an assistant professor of teacher education in the School of Education at the University of San Francisco, San Francisco, California. struggling to keep up (Borrero & Bird, 2009; Crawford & Krashen, 2007; Freeman & Freeman, 2007). This reality is supported by data on the achievement gap between Caucasian and Latino students, and by research that documents the school experiences of students learning English in public schools (e.g., Borrero, 2006; Garcia & Menken, 2006; Olsen, 1997; Suárez-Orozco & Suárez-Orozco, 2001; Thomas & Collier, 2002; Valdés, 2001). Of course, what is also a reality, is that these students’ academic achievement is solely measured in English, on tests that are likely assessing their English proficiency just as much as their understanding of academic concepts. So language and achievement are important and connected aspects of Latino students’ experiences at school, but they are not the only factors that we as educators and researchers must attend to.

Teaching K-8 students about race: African Americans, racism, & the struggle for social justice in the U.S.

Abstract: Keffrelyn D. Brown and Anthony L. Brown are assistant professors in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction of the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. curriculum and the implications of these representations on understanding these groups’ current experiences. Additionally, targeting textbook knowledge, or what is also often referred to as the official curriculum, illuminates or veils the material interests gained by and the role central actors have played in past events of racial injustice. This knowledge also informs us about the long-term effects of such histories. Thus, what makes the history curriculum a central space for debating issues of representation, national history, and race is that most if not all U.S. citizens are expected at one time or another to read, sing, and learn a common narrative of American history in school. The history curriculum, then, becomes a central apparatus through which to narrate a racial group’s past and frames what we know of their contributions to the national imaginary. In light of these factors, another persistent concern raised about the history curriculum relates to the effect such knowledge has on African Americans themselves. From this historical trajectory, we note how the history curriculum has played a prominent role in the way discourses of race and racial injustice are presented in schools. We argue that the current situation exemplified by limited textbook content about race, racism, and social justice—unless supplemented with other critical texts or additional knowledge presented by the teacher—is inadequate, yet it is likely employed unquestioningly by many teachers (both White or Black) as they enter and serve in our schools. Given these long-standing problems and the contentious debate surrounding curricular knowledge about African Americans and its relationship to teaching and learning about race, the basic question we pose is: How then should teachers approach race and social justice in the classroom? Introduction

In Their Shoes: Teachers Experience the Needs of English Language Learners through a Math Simulation.

Abstract: Luciana C. de Oliveira is an associate professor of literacy and language education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. across the U.S. come from White, middle class, and non-urban backgrounds (National Collaborative on Diversity in the Teaching Force, 2004; Nieto, 2000), and have little experience with learning other languages. Given this disparity, it is imperative that teachers be sensitive to the diverse backgrounds of their students and know how to build on these students’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds and experiences (Brooks & Karathanos, 2009; Lee, Butler, & Tippins, 2007). Multicultural education literature calls for teachers to be culturally responsive (Artiles, Trent, Hoffman-Kipp, & Lopez-Torrez, 2000; Gay, 2002; Villegas & Lucas, 2002). In addition to being culturally responsive, teachers must be linguistically responsive, able to respond to the linguistic experiences and needs of students, especially ELLs (Lucas, Villegas, & Freedson-Gonzalez, 2008). Appropriate preparation for teaching ELLs includes at minimum: (a) a strong background and experiences with second language learning principles and practices; (b) knowledge about the differences between conversational language proficiency and academic language proficiency; (c) the importance of access to comprehensible input and opportunities for producing output for meaningful purposes; (d) the role of social interaction for the development of conversational and academic English; (e) the positive impact of strong native language skills on ELLs’ achievement; (f) the necessity of a welcoming classroom environment for ELLs; and (g) the need for explicit attention to linguistic form and function (Lucas, Villegas, & FreedsonGonzalez, 2008). Preparing teachers to meet the needs of ELLs in their classrooms is a tall order for many teacher education programs (de Jong & Harper, 2005). Teacher preparation for ELLs includes sensitizing prospective Given the increase in the number of culturally and linguistically diverse students in American schools, it is vital for teacher education programs to address the needs of English Language Learners (ELLs) in their courses. Mainstream, general education teachers who did not previously experience this student population in their classes are now seeing high numbers of ELLs among their students. Therefore, all teachers, not just specialist English as Second Language (ESL) or bilingual professionals, need to be prepared to work with ELLs (Lucas & Grinberg, 2008). Statistics available from the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA, 2006) show that more than 10% of the K-12 student population across the United States is comprised of ELLs, which accounts for over five million students in our schools. The greatest numbers of these students are found in California, Florida, Illinois, New Mexico, New York, Puerto Rico, and Texas. However, states such as Arkansas, Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, and Virginia have experienced more than 200% growth in the numbers of ELLs in their schools from1995 to 2006 (NCELA, 2006). The need to prepare teachers to work with this population of students is pressing across the U.S., and is even more salient in contexts such as Indiana, where the ELL K-12 student population has increased by 408% since 1990 (Indiana Department of Education, 2010). These rapid changes put pressure on teacher education programs to prepare teachers to work with ELLs (Athanases & de Oliveira, 2011). Too many teachers view mainstream U.S. culture and monolingualism as the norm, thus ignoring linguistic diversity (Osborn, 2007) and perpetuating misconceptions about teaching ELLs (de Jong & Harper, 2005). These considerations are relevant in the context of teacher preparation, as teachers’ attitudes are likely to impact what and whether ELLs learn (Echevarria & Graves, 2007). Teachers’ attitudes and beliefs about ELLs can be influenced by their lack of empathy for these students’ experiences and backgrounds. Many pre-service and inservice teachers need not only to learn strategies to work with ELLs but also to feel what it is like to be language learners themselves. The monolingual, predominantly White, teacher population that is still found in today’s schools must engage in language experiences that will help them understand the difficulties and needs of ELLs in their classrooms. To that end, this article describes a math simulation activity in Brazilian Portuguese designed to increase teachers’ awareness of what learners feel when they are immersed in a language they do not understand. This simulation has been utilized in K-12 ESL methods courses and in professional development programs in Indiana. I contextualize the simulation through reflection questions that teachers address in their discussion after the simulation. As a way to demonstrate how teachers have engaged in the simulation and developed more empathy for ELLs, this article includes excerpts from teachers’ reflections, collected over four years in different contexts.

Involvement of Language Minority Parents of Children with Disabilities in Their Child's School Achievement.

Abstract: involvement can include many forms of collaboration between schools and parents (Murawski, 2009). This type of involvement reflects shared values between school personnel and parents. Researchers have noted that when this sharing exists, parents participate in schools in ways that makes effective use of their own knowledge, experiences, and skills (Gonzalez, Moll, Floyd-Tenery, Rivera, Rendon, Gonzales, & Amanti, 1993; Noguera, 2001). In addition, collaborative involvement refers to parents being informed, knowledgeable, and capable of choosing ways to be involved in their children’s schools and education that are congruent with their culture and values (Valdes, 1996). Finally a collaborative type of parent involvement allows the parents to advocate for their children (Diaz-Soto, 1997).

Increasing Academic Oral Language Development: Using English Language Learner Shadowing in Classrooms.

Abstract: and reading as active processes, greater comprehension can be elicited. In this way structured and frequent academic oral language development techniques can be embedded into teachers’ daily instructional practice. Once teachers experience the silence and therefore invisibility of their ELL as they shadow a student, they will begin to see the negative results of allowing their ELLs to remain quietly passive in a classroom setting.

Postsecondary Learning: Recognizing the Needs of English Language Learners in Mainstream University Classrooms.

Abstract: 13 Elizabeth Bifuh-Ambe is an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts. to encompass. Fitzgerald (1995) states that among these factors are: (a) the rapid growth of ELLs in higher education, (b) the tremendous diversity among ELLs at the university level, and (c) the dynamic, evolving, and sometimes controversial state of reading research in general. Added to this is the lack of consistent and generalizable findings on second language reading processes and programs in particular (Slavin & Cheung, 2005). More research is therefore needed to shed light on the complicated interaction between English language acquisition and use, as well as the reading and comprehension of postsecondary ELL students.

Schools Reading Parents' Worlds: Mexican Immigrant Mothers Building Family Literacy Networks.

Abstract: outlined above (de Carvalho, 2001; Graue et al., 2001, Lareau, 1996, 2000, 2001; Valdes, 1996; Vincent, 1996). This literature has mainly functioned as a provider of “to do” lists for parents (e.g., parents must provide a quiet, well-lit place to study; review children’s homework; attend open houses and parent-teacher conferences; and join school booster organizations), assuming in tandem that all parents possess the resources to perform these duties. Teachers, for their part, are told to provide “clear information” to parents, without considering the relative nature of such a request (Epstein, 2001, p. 14). Lopsidedly focused on parental performance, this literature has assumed that parents should serve schools but not necessarily vice versa. A second, quantitative strand (e.g., Jeynes, 2005; Lee & Bowen, 2006; Rumberger et al., 1990; Snow et al., 1991; Yan & Lin, 2005), with some notable exceptions (e.g., Domina, 2005; Sui-Chu & Willms,1996) has tended to espouse the assumptions of the prescriptive literature, seeking to isolate and quantify certain variables in order to predict which parent behaviors or cultural traits (frequently the European-American middle class behaviors promoted in the prescriptive literature) yield the most effective results in children’s academic achievement. As in the prescriptive literature, a reliance on predetermined variables and assumptions inevitably leads to foregone conclusions, as when Rumberger and colleagues (1990) claim that “parents in high SES families are more likely than parents in low SES families to be involved in their children’s education” (p. 284), even when their data on high school dropouts admittedly provide no such indication. Finally, an interpretive strand, consisting of ethnographic and other qualitaIntroduction

Perspectives of Immigrant Muslim Parents: Advocating for Religious Diversity in Canadian Schools.

Abstract: cal multiculturalism and minority group rights. The term multiculturalism includes a plurality of meanings and definitions. According to Kincheloe and Steinberg (1997), there are five prevailing philosophical positions that inform multicultural policies and practices: conservative, liberal, pluralist, radical, and critical. The conservative approach presumes the superiority of Eurocentric values and beliefs and Christianity, devalues immigrants’ native cultures and religions, and places uneven expectations on immigrants to conform over time to the norms, values, and religious traditions of the receiving society (Li, 2003). The liberal position acknowledges diversity, but has a low level of tolerance of non-Christian faiths. It superficially focuses on the neutrality of secularism, a separation of church and state. In reality such separation does not exist in Canada as we see the residual influence of Christianity in the national anthem, statutory holidays, currency, architecture, textbooks, and so on (Biles & Ibrahim, 2005). An alternative form of liberal multiculturalism is pluralist multiculturalism, which sees differences in cultures and religions. However, the cultural and religious differences are often trivialized, exoticized, and essentialized as Immigration is now the primary source of population growth in Canada. For the year 2006, the Canadian Census reported that almost 20 percent of the population was born outside of Canada (Statistics Canada, 2007). Between the years 1991 and 2001 specifically, the number of non-Christians, such as Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Hindus, had more than doubled in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2003). It is estimated that by the year 2017 more than 10 percent of Canadians will be non-Christians (Statistics Canada, 2005). These demographic changes have profound implications for Canadian public school systems. While Canada promotes many ways of recognizing diversity, it seems to demonstrate however an aversion to utilizing the word “religion.” The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, for example, enshrines the right to practice one’s own religion, which can be viewed as a means of accommodating the needs of religious minorities within a multicultural society. Yet public education in Canada follows a fundamentalist Christian curriculum with its calendar specifically fitting the needs of Christians (Karmani & Pennycook, 2005; Spinner-Halev, 2000), a trend also prevalent in the neighboring United States. The Eurocentric nature of public schools in general means that religious minority parents need to constantly negotiate parameters for their children’s involvement in school curricula and activities (Zine, 2001). This negotiation is particularly challenging for Muslim immigrant parents. Islam is often portrayed as an inherently violent religion and Muslims are seen as threatening the peace and security of Western nations (McDonough & Hoodfar, 2005), particularly after the events of September 11, 2001. Yet little attention has been paid to how minority parents negotiate their religious practices within public schools. Given these concerns, data were collected through in-depth interviews with immigrant parents who had recently arrived in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Algeria, Somalia, and Suriname. This study examines how these Muslim immigrant parents struggle within the public schools to negotiate the continuity of their Islamic practices and how they counteract their own marginality as immigrants, a marginality often connected with other sites of oppression such as race and gender.

Parents' Perceptions, Decisions, and Influences: Korean Immigrant Parents Look at Language Learning and Their Children's Identities.

Abstract: that enhance education (Coleman, 1998). In this context, being bilingual has been found to have a greater relationship to social capital than other variables such as socioeconomic status or ethnicity (Dinovitzer et al., 2003; Michael & Kaufman, 1997). The use of L1 can facilitate ELLs’ access to the resources and opportunities within their ethnic communities, while their proficiency in English positions them to enjoy the resources offered in English through school activities. Being able to draw on social capital from their familial or ethnic networks may be more important for ELLs who are restricted from the social capital of L2 mainstream culture due to language barriers. Moreover, bilingualism has been found to enhance ELLs’ academic achievement only when ELLs can continue to communicate with their parents in L1 and access the social capital of their parents and the L1 community. In contrast, no measurable positive outcome of bilingualism on academic achievement has been found once ELLs’ parents become proficient in English (Mouw & Xie, 1999). Thus, the maintenance of L1 in an ELL family is the crucial factor for ELLs to access enhanced social capital and higher degrees of parental supervision. Unfortunately, most ELLs in America are not likely to have a chance to develop their L1 in a classroom setting. Therefore, L1 education at home is necessary for ELLs to take advantage of their L1 and native cultures. Despite the importance of the parents’ role of in supporting ELLs’ L1, parents’ attitudes regarding L1 education and their views of themselves as social capital have not been widely studied. Because parents significantly influence the development of their children’s general attitudes and ideas (Oskamp, 1977), parental attitudes towards L

Social and Cultural Contexts of Chinese Learners: Teaching Strategies for American Educators.

Abstract: Darshan Thakkar is an English as a second language instructor at Northern Essex Community College, Lawrence, Massachusetts, and a mathematics teacher at Haverhill High School, Haverhill, Massachusetts. erature on cultural matters in education has provided the premise that different cultures present different tools, habits, and assumptions that significantly affect human thought and behavior” that will impact how they learn (p. 101).

The Politics of a Child Study Team: Advocating for Immigrant Families.

Abstract: Dilys Schoorman & Hanizah Zainuddin are professors in the Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry in the College of Education at Florida Atlantic University, and Sister Rachel Sena is director of the Family Literacy Program under study, all in Boca Raton, Florida. role it is to consider the uniqueness of the case presented to them in order to make an informed decision in the child’s best interest. The recommended presence of parents, teachers, psychologists, bilingual assessors, and social workers signifies a commitment to the consideration of divergent perspectives and equal participation of all “team” members as they move towards consensus on the best decision for the child. State law requires that the child’s parents must participate “as equal members” of this team (Florida Department of Education, 2004, sec. 13). The due process accorded by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) gives parents the right to “give or withhold permission to have their child tested for eligibility for special education services, re-evaluated, or placed in a different classroom or program” (Heward & Cavanaugh, 2001, p. 311.) The Parent Participation Notification form used for these meetings states, “You have the right to bring to the meeting individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding your child.” As Heward and Cavanaugh (2001) point out, these rights emerge as an effort to equalize the “‘balance of power’ between professionals, who have traditionally wielded power, and families, who have felt they could not affect their children’s education” (p. 311). Despite this policy, the continued overdiagnosis and misdiagnosis of children of under-represented communities, including English Language Learners (ELLs), in special education is well documented (Artiles, Rueda, Salazar, & Higareda, 2005; Artiles, Trent & Palmer, 2004; Garcia & Ortiz, 2004; Harry & Klingner, 2005; Kauffman, Hallahan, & Ford, 1998; Myer, Bevan-Brown, Harry, & Shapon-Shevin, 2001). This trend can be attributed to the lack of reliable and valid assessments (Macswan & Rolstad, 2006), educators’ biases towards particular under-represented groups (Heward & Cavanaugh, 2001; Patton, 1998), the lack of awareness about second language acquisiPurpose

The Case for Collaboration: Integrating Information on English Learners and Special Education in Teacher Preparation Programs.

Abstract: fects of bilingualism on tests, testing, and diagnoses (Figueroa & Newsome, 2006). Other factors plaguing the placement of minority children in special education involve the lack of adequate classroom instruction prior to the student’s referral, the pressure of high-stakes testing, inconsistencies in policy implementation, and arbitrary referrals and assessment decisions. Harry and Klingner (2006) found that each school creates a “culture of referral” that reflects the attitudes and beliefs of administrators and teachers regarding children’s performance in the regular education setting and beliefs about special education. Their research indicated that these were “greater determinants of these patterns [of referral] than were the characteristics of the children themselves” (p. 95). The researchers recapitulate by stating that:

A Critical Look at Four Multicultural Reform Efforts in One Urban College of Education.

Abstract: Critical perspectives on pedagogy examine many ways that unequal relations of power and privilege are entwined through interactions of teachers, parents, children, teacher educators, and preand in-service educators in school contexts and beyond (Apple, 2010). This requires a critical examination of perspectives and ideologies, both invisible and visible, frequently identified as “natural” (Anderson, 1989; Lewis, Enciso, & Moje, 2007). The role of the teacher/researcher is to “connect the dots” (Tatum, 2007, p. 39 ff) by exploring the integration of outside forces at play in everyday interactions as well as the agency of participants on the inside to affect change (Moje & Lewis, 2007; Lewis et al., 2007). Equally relevant to critical pedagogical perspectives is the practice of self-reflection that is engaged by all participants. Children, preand in-service teachers, and teacher/researchers should interrogate their histories, practices, and beliefs as well as those of others (Leistyna & Woodrum, 1996; Rogers, 2003). Such self-reflection is co-constructed and provides a basis for deeper learning, the introduction of previously-silenced voices, and the opportunity to extend beyond the personal in order to take action in pedagogical and political realms, thus moving toward social justice (Kubota, 2004; Nieto, 1999; Shor, 1992). This movement is not linear or prescribed but is an unfinished and emergent process (Luke, 2004; Nieto, 1999), suggesting We were told that our cat had fleas; I had never seen a flea in our place, ever. But once you had the Borax down, then suddenly, every now and then, you could see fleas hopping... —Edward, Faculty Member

A Multicultural Grassroots Effort to Reduce Ethnic and Racial Social Distance among Middle School Students.

Abstract: Part of the Civic and Community Engagement Commons, Community-Based Learning Commons, Demography, Population, and Ecology Commons, Human Ecology Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Law and Race Commons, Migration Studies Commons, Other Sociology Commons, Place and Environment Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons, Regional Sociology Commons, Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons, and the Sociology of Culture Commons

Reflections of the Caribbean in Children's Picture Books: A Critical Multicultural Analysis.

Abstract: Zaria T. Malcolm is a faculty member at Excelsior Community College, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies and Ruth McKoy Lowery is an associate professor in the School of Teaching and Learning, in the College of Education at the University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida. their representations of the Caribbean and its people. We wanted to see what aspects of Caribbean life are readily available in picture books to young children as well as to others curious to understand the life of Caribbean children. Because Caribbean immigrants, particularly Jamaicans, are the largest Black immigrant group in the United States (Banks, 2009; Waters, 1999), we posit that books representing this group of children should be available within multicultural literature for all children.

Do We Live in a Box of Crayons?: Looking at Multicultural Metaphors Written by Teachers.

Abstract: Multicultural education is an umbrella term that can mean many different things to different people, and how a person defines multicultural education will affect how that person approaches it. In other words, how a teacher enacts multicultural education in the classroom may depend on how that teacher understands and conceptualizes multicultural education. While there have been different attempts to explain what multicultural education is and how it can be taught, in this study we used three theoretical models to compare and contrast various types and levels of multicultural education. They include Banks’ (2008) model of four levels of approaches to multicultural education; Sleeter and Grant’s (2007) model of five approaches to diversity; and Nieto’s (2002) model of four levels of multicultural practices in schools. The three models acknowledge the complexity of multicultural education and the challenges which teachers face in schools, and seek to provide various approaches for differing purposes and outcomes.