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The following is an exercise as a part of EDMU at Ball State University. 

Challenges 

Response developed by, Crane, Hudgins, Taylor, Gill: 

Challenges of Multicultural Education Department Response

The Cardinal Leadership team convened to address concerns in regards to our school’s decision to move towards embracing a multicultural education philosophy and tactics. Our 5 point response outlines our teams balanced and thoughtful approach to a multicultural education philosophy and the internal and external concerns of our school community. We value our stakeholders and look forward to continued dialogue that centers around providing the best possible education for our students.

1. Providing equal time to each of our students does not necessarily mean there is equality in our educational process. Each student comes in to our classrooms at different levels in terms of academic ability, socioeconomic status, social emotional needs, and from diverse cultural backgrounds. Ignoring one’s ethnic background does not provide accurate scaffolding in order to form and redefine material in the classroom. As educators our approach to educating different ethnic minorities needs to be different shaped for each individual, taking into account their uniqueness and demographic, as well as, personal qualities that highlight that students advantages and disadvantages in the classroom.

2. Diversity and divisions in classroom are not created by multiculturalism, rather, they exist regardless of how a student is educated. Rather than ignoring who we are, multiculturalism more deeply acknowledges an individual’s unique cultural background, and is able to assess and meet each individual’s need in this regard. Multiculturalism does not only focus on the negative aspects of our nations history either; when it does, though, it focuses on negative dimensions only to explore the nature of why social injustice happens, in order to prevent it.  

3. A Multicultural Education, one that embraces our core values, “to celebrate the diversity of our student community” is not an elective - it is a requirement. Today, teachers, social workers, and administrators are charged with the duty of educating children for success in a global community. A particular cultural competence is required to make out children competitive in collegiate and professional ambitions. At SCHOOL NAME we must live up to our core values by “preparing our children for their highest ambitions through education, community engagement, and culturally relevant coursework.”

4. Within the United States, knowing to speak English is essential within the classroom but  this does not leave multicultural education invalid or unneeded in the classroom. Learning about other cultures is just as essential to the classroom setting as English education. Due the the rapidly changing world and new technology advancements it is likely individuals will encounter many people from many different countries and cultural backgrounds. If students are taught about the basics of this culture and appreciation one can have for these different cultures it will provide a social scaffolding that students will need to acquire in order to be able to socially interact and advance in a now multicultural globalized world and environment. Promoting and and celebrating other cultures is not simply a filler for curriculum, but an educational asset that does not take away from essential basic skills being taught, but promoting and growing a student’s viewpoint on the world. Further, multicultural education is not simply a means to enhance white guilt, but a way to simply display and aid in the concept of unity and understanding of all cultural backgrounds.

The text Students Multiple Worlds details the difference we see in American students between their three primary worlds; school, family, and peers. The three areas are the pillars of our children's lives, it is where their expectations are set and their ability is placed upon them.

The expectations, attitudes, behaviors, and values cause borders between these spaces that are not easy to navigate as educators, social workers, policy makers, and government and business partners. While borders can be created, some of these areas are simply barriers to bridging the gap between multiple worlds. For example, social class, which often informs academic expectations, can be a barrier to success that is permeable with intentional attention to high expectations in a students multiple worlds. 

Students like Carla remind us that a positive view of the home life can "manifest" itself in positive performance and expectation at school, regardless of social class. (Multiple World, 72) While social class can inform how a student feels about their ability to perform and his/her relationship with success the development of a positive attitude toward home life (border) can manifest in a positive way. The concept lends itself to poor attitudes towards home life as well. A student that comes from a socioeconomically depressed community with high expectation at home and low expectations at school is faced with the same borders - the borders just do not match. The classroom and school can then become a place where a socioeconomically marginalized students feel inferior to the expectations of particular worlds this can manifest itself in poor performance and behavior among other issues. 

It is important that we focus on ensuring that social class is not the only informant of expectations. Children with poor expectations in particular worlds should be able to find high expectations and services among their peer class ( a group educators influence) community and certainly at school.