How Do We Do This?

Theory lacking applicability is empty. Multicultural education sounds great. As described in Making Choices it is  based on a commitment to pluralism; its guiding purpose is to prepare students to be active participants in a a diverse, democratic society." The breakdown of the theories and ideologies provide a great foundation for multicultural education. But after all is said and done, how do we put all these great theories and ideologies into play? Sleeter and Grant describe an array of areas to implement reccomended practices. I want to bring focus to the importance of Home/Community-School relationships.

We have discussed the importance of a change in curriculum as well as teaching styles and diversity acceptance. Although change is required inside our schools, so is a change in the structures outside of schools that impact a students' life. More importantly to effectively transition to education that is multicultural all spheres of student's life must be on one accord. Epstein refers to this as overlapping spheres of influence. As Sleeter and Grant state it, "parents and community members must be more than mere spectators", when it comes to education of children. Once a school system has made the change to accepting and valuing diversity, it is then made easy for community and parental involvement. Parents and the community are able to see their culture values through the school and this gives them a place to now become active in a child's education. It is important to not just speak on this matter but actively create plans and practices for this partnership to take place. Ideally parents as well as the community have a place in making major decisions concerning schooling. It is important to have more than just your typical parent-teacher conference or teachers who contact parent when a child has misbehaved. Parents deserve involvement every step of the way. In this patnership, cultural empowerment is evident in and outside of the classroom.




This powerpoint gives a definition of what a SFC partnership is as well as breakdown the 6 types of parent involvement identified by Epstein as presented in Sleeter and Grant.
http://j.b5z.net/i/u/2135872/i/School-Family-Community_Partnerships_Powerpoint_1_-1.ppt



This video shows a school that has effectively transitioned to School-Family-Community Partnerships. They give a great example of have this transition can actually be done.
http://www.youtube.com/watch#playnext=1&playnext_from=TL&videos=hwNEDXHEUmU&v=8vOjdJAdBCA

Accountability...

Statistics: Within the US social class is an indication of affluence and is a source of stratification within our society. Social class is intricately intertwined with the process of schooling within the US. Sleeter and Grant present statistics based on social class structure. Although I was aware of the social class system, the exact numbers were alarming. "One fifth of Americans now own not quite 50 percent of the national wealth", this leave 95 percent for the other half of the nation to share. The fact is that the gap between the wealthy and poor is widening and this affects access to basic needs. Sleeter and Grant report that the 2003 official poverty rate was 35.9 million people and in the midst of an economic crisis, I can't begin to fathom what this number is now. Who should be held accountable for this? How can we relate this education?
How Students Learning Is Assessed: In class we discussed the relation of money and government funding and public school standardized testing. Unsurprisingly, affluent schools (where the one fifth of wealthy Americans send their children) are not subjected to the rigorous tests and are not competing for government funds. Too bad we all don't have this luxury. The passage of No Child Left Behind has caused a shift in public school teaching where teachers, schools and states are now held "accountable" for their students' level of achievement. Sadly attention is moved from authentic testing to "high stakes testing" in which standardized tests are used as the deciding factor of whether a student can move on to the next grade or graduate. It is no surprise of who is greatly affected by this. Students of color or those with disabilities are put at a disadvantage. It is not ironic that the implementation of a high school exit exam would cause many students to drop out. When we exam who these students are, they are once again those of color, those from low-income backgrounds and those are linguistically disadvantage. And here is where the creation of a stratified society is perpetuated. Those students who passed these exams are given a chance to go to college and advance economically. The unlucky majority of students who fail and must drop out become a part of the 95 percent left to share 50 percent of the nations wealth. This is a sad reality and when implementing standardized tests we must take a step back and look at the bigger picture, what will be the consequences of setting such strict testing policies in the public school system.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35P7FCMOePs

http://www.fairtest.org/facts/howharm.htm

Multicultural Education- Power Struggles Beyond Appreciating Diversity

In class we spent a lot of discussion time delving through the different definitions of what multicultural education means to us. Although the conversation was very insightful, I feel we may have neglected a main part of the story on multicultural education. We spoke much on the curricula aspect, which is important, but I wonder if there is something bigger than changes in a few textbooks or having teachers adopt new teaching techniques which intend to "appreciate diversity". In fact I am saying that the issue is so much bigger than the methods stated. The Name article provides a more accurate description for where I stand on Multicultural Education. It states "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 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." 

In all I feel the most powerful piece of that statement addresses a history of oppression and disenfranchisement faced by people of color in the US when it says that multicultural education should supply students with the skills for the REDISTRIBUTION OF POWER AND INCOME among diverse groups. Schooling and education now make it very clear who is in power. With the creation of multicultural education and the deconstruction of our current education system comes the responsibility of granting "all men" the rights granted by the ideals of freedom and equality that the US stands on. Understanding that multicultural education is about the redistribution of power allows us to begin to tackle issues of racism which are at the basis of current inequalities. 

In the interview done with Sleeter in the Anderson reading, she addresses the issue of racism and why multuculturalism,  at it's core, is a struggle against racism, and must go beyond an appreciation of diversity. She speaks on the issue of white privelege which is also a topic we didnt didn't address. So it is the fact that from the conception of this nation that power was created and meant for one set of people. Aurdre Lorde calls this set of people the mythical norm and describes it like this- “In America, this norm is usually defined as white, thin, male, young, heterosexual, Christian, and financially secure. It is with this mythical norm that the trappings of power reside within society". With time, this population has grown to include white women to an extent and people of color remain disenfranchised. When we are thinking about the creation of a multicultural education it is important for those of power within our school systems, such as white teachers and administrators, to begin to question and deconstruct this system of inequality. One of the first steps is a self-evaluation that questions ones place in society and the privileges granted based on ones color. This is the only way to get to the heart of the issue. Sleeter stated it, saying "The primary issue was one of access to a quality education. If we're not dealing with questions of why access is continually important, and if we're not dealing with issues like why we have so much poverty amid so much wealth, we're not dealing with the core issues of multiculturalism."  I'm challenging White folks to begin to unpack their knapsack like Peggy McIntosh. I posted her writing so you know what I'm talking about




www.case.edu/president/aaction/UnpackingTheKnapsack.pdf- A quick read by Peggy McIntosh as she "unpacks" the issue of white privilege as a white educator. She literally lists things she experiences daily that are related to her privilege as a white woman in America.