Cultural Pluralism: Implications for Educational Practices and Comprehensive School Reform.

N

8

Consciousness Raising; Cultural Pluralism; Diversity (Student); Educational Change; Educational Policy; Elementary Secondary Education; Standardized Tests; Student Evaluation; Teacher Attitudes; Test Bias

To circumvent isolationism, ethnocentrism, and intolerance experienced by culturally diverse students and their parents in U.S. schools, education policies must be effectively documented with methodological endorsement of multicultural education as policy for all students to be personally meaningful, socially relevant, culturally accurate, and educationally sound. Education policy development must start from within the culture of the school rather than be imposed from the outside. It should include social resources to mediate the relationship between new ideas and old practices. Working definitions of culture, multicultural education, and cultural pluralism are necessary in understanding the many implications for educational practice and comprehensive reform in U.S. schools. Multicultural education is an ongoing process. It is also a reform movement that is trying to change schools to provide equal opportunities for all students. Teachers must examine their own attitudes and be trained to appreciate diversity. Standardized testing, which does not take into account cultural differences, must be replaced with culturally fair methods of assessing students' behavior and knowledge. Cultural pluralism as a national ideal can be realized through multicultural education and comprehensive school reform. (Contains 12 references.) (SM)

2001

ED455236