EDFI 2980 Final Exam, Final EDFI 2980
An educational approach reflecting cultural pluralism might involve
changing the basic assumptions of the curriculum and enabling students to view concepts, issues, themes, and problems from different perspectives and points of view
The "3S" model of multiculturalism as a misleading model
"3S": "Saris, samosas, and steeldrums" The basic idea: clothing, cuisine, music A "celebratory" model. Can also think of it as a consumerist model: multiculturalism is what I wear, or eat, or listen to (essentially, what I purchase)
What are the main arguments against tracking?
-Physical effects: children see themselves as under or over competent -Economic effects: vocationally tracked kids end up in working class, low paying jobs and vise versa.
Nieto and Bode's 7 Characteristics of multiculturalism
-anti-racist -basic education -important for all students -pervasive -education for social justice -a process -critical pedagogy
What are Kymlicka's main criticisms of the "3-s" model of multiculturalism?
-too much emphasis on material aspects - Does not address serious issues - Ignores economic and social inequalities - Encourages stereotypes - Can reinforce inequalities within minorities
Problems with the "3S" Model:
1. does not address injustice and inequality Ignores issues of economic and political inequality My consumption of cultural products will not address issues of injustice 2. May "essentialize" culture The focus on celebrating "authentic" cultural practices that are unique to each group is potentially dangerous. Not all customs that may be traditionally practiced within a particular group are worthy of being celebrated, or even being legally tolerated. 3. A related point: can encourage a conception of cultural groups as sealed and static Ignores processes of cultural adaptation, mixing, mélange 4. Can end up reinforcing power inequalities and cultural restrictions within minority groups In deciding which traditions are "authentic," and how to interpret and display them, the state generally consults with traditional elites within the group - typically older males - while ignoring the way these traditional practices (and traditional elites) are often challenged by internal reformers. In essence, the "3S" model falls far short of addressing issues of deep cultural understanding or social justice: Consuming different cultural products will not help us address issues such as racism or xenophobia
cultural pluralism
A condition in which many cultures coexist within a society and maintain their cultural differences.
EFFECTS OF A HOSTILE SCHOOL CLIMATE
A hostile school climate affects students' academic success and mental health. LGBTQ students who experience victimization and discrimination at school have worse educational outcomes and poorer psychological well-being.
If Will Kymlicka disagrees with the 3S model, what sort of multiculturalism does he have in mind?
A model of multicultural citizenship that combines anti-discrimination measures with positive forms (for instance, policies) of recognition and accommodation. These measures and forms should be grounded in human-rights ideals.
Multiculturalism
A perspective recognizing the cultural diversity of the United States and promoting equal standing for all cultural traditions Multiculturalism is not the same as assimilation Multiculturalism is another way of thinking about integration; that is, how distinct cultural groups can live together in the same society, and yet retain their cultural practices The "mixed salad" metaphor is often used to imagine multiculturalism, as opposed to something like, I suppose, a "melting pot."
Within the Weis Et al article on inequalities in the postsecondary admissions process, the "transgenerational family script" refers to
A script that the students from the privileged and well-resourced Cannondale high school inherit and take ownership of adopting identities and making them "highly selective college goers" by virtue of being in the top track
Institutional discrimination
Actual institutionalized policies that are racist/ discriminate against a group of people (ex: redlining)
A very short history behind multiculturalism as a model for ensuring human rights
After World War II, a series of political movements designed to contest older racialized hierarchies. These movements happened across the globe 1. The struggle for de-colonization in the colonial world (1948-1965) 2.The struggle against racial segregation and discrimination, initiated by the African-American civil rights movement from 1955-1965 3.The struggle for multiculturalism and minority rights, 1960s forward.
Pluralism might best be characterized as
An ideal that seeks to encourage cultural diversity, with the belief that diversity is enriching to everyone
Within the Weis Et al article on inequalities in the postsecondary admissions process, there are sharp differences between the stem academy and the Cannondale High School Students with respect to the "co-production of the college admissions process" specifically
At cannonade parents, students and school personnel collectively work to produce an "admissions subject" and accompanying dossier/ portfolio to present to college admissions staff.
Discrimination
Behaving differently, usually unfairly, toward the members of a group. unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members
Cultural Capital
Benefits one receives from knowledge, abilities, and skills According to Pierre Bourdieu's theory of cultural capital it can exist in three forms: dispositions of the mind and body, cultural good, and educational qualifications. Schools will primarily reflect the knowledge and values of economically and culturally dominant groups in society. They will reinforce the cultural capital that students from those dominant groups already bring for home.
Will Kymlicka's criticisms of the 3S model of multiculturalism include the assertion that the model
Can end up reinforcing power inequalities and cultural restrictions within minority groups
de jure segregation and de facto segregation
De jure segregation is separation enforced by law, while de facto segregation occurs when widespread individual preferences, sometimes backed up with private pressure, lead to separation.
Factors that can either facilitate or impeded successful implementation of multiculturalism
De-securitization of ethnic relations: relations between the state and minorities should be seen as an issue of social policy, and not s an issue of state security. Human rights: Support for multiculturalism rests on the assumption that there is a shared commitment to human rights across ethnic and religious lines Border Control: Multiculturalism is more controversial when citizens fear they lack control over their borders. Diversity of Immigrant Groups: Multiculturalism works best when it is genuinely multicultural - that is, when immigrants come from many different countries rather than overwhelmingly just one Economic Contributions: Support for multiculturalism depends on the perception that immigrants are holding up their end of the bargain and making a good-faith effort to contribute to society - particularly economically.
Assimilation can be used as a tool to preserve the dominant culture through
Defining and providing a singular culture for a common citizenship
The prevalent model for teaching language minority students is
Developmental or maintenance bilingual education
The policy approach to multiculturalism
Does not attend to the fact that not all customs that may be traditionally practiced within a particular group are worthy of being celebrated, or even of legally tolerated.
multicultural education
Education that teaches the value of cultural diversity.
What does multiculturalism beyond the 3-S model look like in practice?
Example: Immigrant multicultural policies Examples of immigrant multicultural policies (from p.7): •The adoption of multiculturalism in school curricula •Exemptions from dress codes •Allowing dual citizenship How do we ensure that some of these policies and practices do not end up looking like the 3-S model? Take multiculturalism in school curricula for instance...
To assert that race is a social construct is to say that it
Exists upon social groups' collective agreement that it exists and upon their imposition of it as a reality
Establishment Clause
First Amendment ban on laws "respecting an establishment of religion" Clause in the First Amendment that says the government may not establish an official religion.
nationality
Identity with a group of people that share legal attachment and personal allegiance to a particular place as a result of being born there.
Trans-generational script
Individuals and families manifest in their behavior their ancestors' influence even without having met them. This is the result of unconscious communication that runs between family members from one generation to another.
The systematic use of economic and political power in institutions (such as schools) leading to policies and practices detrimental to a particular group is known as
Institutional Discrimination
Racism is systemic and institutional.
Institutional discrimination generally refers to how people are excluded or deprived of rights or opportunities as a result of the normal operations of the institution" (Nieto, Bode, 2018, p. 52) The systematic use of economic/political power in institutions (such as schools) leading to policies and practices detrimental to particular groups (racial, ethic, gender, or other)
Nieto and Bode's discussion of the seven basic characteristics of multicultural education would. support the position that multicultural education
Is particularly important for students from the dominant culture because they are generally the most miseducated or uneducated about diversity
How does multicultural education relate to the idea of pluralism?
It promotes cultural tolerance, education, and understanding to allow for cultural pluralism in the dominant culture and civic participation among minority groups. It allows for coexistence of dominant and minority cultures
In the GLSEN 2015 National School Climate Survey's section on a hostile school climate
Just over half of the LGBT students surveyed felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation
Multicultural Education in sociopolitical context
Multicultural education is a process of comprehensive school reform and basic education for all students. It challenges and rejects racism and other forms of discrimination in school and society and accepts and affirms the pluralism (ethnic, racial, linguistic, religious, economic, gender, and sexual orientation, among others) that students, their communities, and teachers reflect. Multicultural education permeates the school's curriculum and instructional strategies as well as the interactions among teachers, students, and families and the very way that schools conceptualize the nature of teaching and learning. Because it uses critical pedagogy as its underlying philosophy and focuses on knowledge, reflection, and action (praxis) as the basis for social change, multicultural education promotes democratic principles of social justice.
Seven basic characteristics of multicultural education
Multicultural education is anti-racist education Multicultural education is basic education Multicultural education is important for all students Multicultural education is pervasive Multicultural education is education for social justice Multicultural education is a process Multicultural education is critical pedagogy
Discrimination can be best defined as
Negative or destructive behaviors that can result in denying some groups life's necessities as well as the privileges, rights, and opportunities enjoyed by other groups
Are all immigrants ELLs?
No. A lot of them are second generation immigrants
There is a need to differentiate between the category of language minority students and the larger category of immigrant students because
Not all immigrant students are limited in their English proficiency nor are all students who are English language learners, immigrants.
How is discrimination different from prejudice?
Prejudice is preconceived ideas about a certain group of people while discrimination is acting on that prejudice.
The Law remedies
Provide guidance in identifying students with limited proficiency in English, assessing their language abilities and providing appropriate programs
How does race as a social construct relate to social groups and assumptions about race?
Race does not actually exist biologically, we separate people based on associations with signs (ie. skin color). When enough people agree on it and act on it, it becomes a reality of negative outcomes.
What is race?
Race is a classification of humans into groups that are generally recognized as unique within a certain civilisation owing to similar physical or social characteristics. The phrase was originally intended to designate common language speakers, but it was eventually reinterpreted to imply national affiliation.
Race versus ethnicity
Race: perception of observable phenotypes. Social construct + categorization. There is greater DNA variation within racial groups than there is between races... Ethnicity: cultural background. Traditions, customs, practices, etc. of a specific group. Research mostly treats ethnicity as groups other than black/white (not necessarily true, though) There are disparities between racial/ethnic groups (income, crime, health, etc)
What is racism?
Racism is the belief that various groups of people have different behavioral traits that correlate to genetic features and that they may be segregated based on the superiority of one race over another.
Restorative Justice Practices in Schools
Research points restorative justice as an alternative to punitive and exclusionary discipline policies. In order to have schools consider embracing restorative justice Fania E. Davis suggested these tips: 1.Assessment needs 2.Engage the school community 3.Hire (or train) a restorative justice coordinator 4.Begin a training plan 5.Schoolwide implementation 6.Institute restorative discipline 7.Involve student in peer restorative practices 8.Evaluate
That high SES eighth graders who are black perform better in mathematics than low SES white or asian students suggests
School performance may have less to do with race or ethnicity than with SES.
Assimilationist educational approaches
Seek to eliminate cultural differences between minority students and non-minority students by enforcing the dominant culture.
Cultural Pluralism Model
Strong believers of the American way of life, but are able to maintain characteristics of the native culture
The model for teaching English language learners that places students in a separate classroom where they can learn all their content in english until they're proficient enough to be "mainstreamed" to a regular classroom is
Structured English immersion
How does the policy approach to multiculturalism differ from the "3-s" model?
Uses laws to promote multiculturalism (ex: exemptions from dress code, allowing/ supporting bilingual education)
Cannondale High School (CHS)
Suburban, public, comprehensive school in an affluent town Majority (although not exclusively) white Intensively college-bound. Rich and varied curriculum: More than 15 AP classes, an array of IB courses, college credit-bearing courses. Close to 100 clubs, sports teams, organizations 99% graduation rate, 90% of class matriculates to college immediately upon high school completion
According to the author's note in Nieto and Bode, schools sometimes view children living in poverty and children of color as if they were blank slates. According to the authors, the problem, with this view is that
Tears down the linguistic, cultural, or experiential foundation the children already have
In the landmark 1974 Lau v Nichols case the court ruled unanimously that
The civil rights of the students who did not understand the language of instruction were being violated
STEM Academy
Urban, College Board School* Largely (although not exclusively) African American, low income College preparatory in name, but limited actual opportunities for college preparation. Only two AP classes. Extracurricular opportunities hard to come by Majority of graduating seniors attend local nonselective four-year or two-year schools
An argument that schools reproduce the economic and social relations of society and therefore tend to serve the interests of the dominant economic class would assert that
The role of the schools is to keep the dominant classes in power by teaching the children of the dominant classes the skills of management and control which would presumably prepare them to manage and control the working class
Resistance Discipline Disparities, and the School-to-Prison Pipeline
The school-to-prison pipeline is schools responses to students resistance. Marian Wright Edelman documented that young Black men in the United States are incarcerated in the juvenile justice system at four times the rate of White youth.
Within the Weis Et al article on inequalities in the postsecondary admissions process Cannondale students take on greater ownership of the college admissions process than do their STEM counterparts because
They do not simply and passively follow a "transgenerational script" but rather come to the script themselves
Co-production of the college admissions process
This broad trend toward co-production opens opportunities for different forms of knowledge production which are mutually beneficial for both community and university, in the eco-systemic dance between two different structural. Co-production ensured high levels of trust between participants and commitment to the outcomes. Implementation of the strategy actions requires ongoing resources to support intermediary structures to overcome misalignment between universities as large, hierarchical institutions and community groups as dynamic, informal, social organizations.
Multicultural education is anti-racist education
What exactly is "race" in the first place? How does it exist? "Discrimination" and "prejudice" do not mean the same thing •Examples? Racism may be personal, but it may also be institutional ("institutional discrimination", or "institutional racism" if it applies specifically to race) •Examples? Are some students being favored over others in school policies and practices? Has the curriculum been "sanitized" so as to keep it safe? (see p. 44) Will simply having lessons on getting along or celebrating Human Relations Week make students non-racist or nondiscriminatory? Nieto and Bode: Because many teachers have had little experience with diversity, discussions of racism often threaten their deeply held ideals of fair play and equality. As a result, fruitful classroom discussions about discrimination rarely happen because many teachers are uneasy with these topics. Racism in the schools (as practiced by teachers, staff, and even fellow students) compromises meritocracy •Examples? Anti-racist education must move beyond the "3-S" model of multiculturalism
Multicultural education is basic education
What is meant by this? •Multicultural education should not be peripheral to the core curriculum, or treated as an "add-on" Multicultural literacy is just as indispensable for living in today's world as reading, writing, arithmetic, and computer literacy •But what is "multicultural literacy"? (pp.46-48)
As employees of the government, teachers must abide by the Establishment clause of the First Amendment.
Which means teachers must be neutral toward all religions in the classroom. Therefore, teachers do not have the right to pray with or in the presence of students during the day. They are able to do so away from students or in a group of other teachers. However, it is not uncommon of students to ask their teacher religious questions or even what religion they practice. It is recommended to be handled in one of two ways: 1. Politely decline to answer the question 2. Answer honestly and briefly
Californias proposition 227 in 1998, Arizona's proposition 203 in 2000 and Massachusetts' question 2 in 2002 were all examples of
a backlash against bilingual education
Nieto and Bode's discussion of the seven basic characteristics of multicultural education asserts that multicultural education is
all of these answers are correct
How is pluralism different from assimilation?
assimilation is completely letting go of one's inherited cultural practices to adopt dominant culture practices while pluralism allows them to coexist.
The policy approach to multiculturalism differs from the 3S model because it
involves actual public policies that might build and maintain a multicultural society
How is standardized testing linked to drop outs?
promotes a sense of failure, social class differences and minorities/ racial differences have correlations.
Free Exercise Clause
the First Amendment guarantee that citizens may freely engage in the religious activities of their choice A First Amendment provision that prohibits government from interfering with the practice of religion.
What is Intersectionality?
the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.
cultural assimilation model
the model in which the goal was to assimilate individual cultural identities into a unique, unified American culture
Critical Race Theory
the study of the relationship among race, racism, and power ▸"CRT applies critical theory to examine the ways in which the intersection of race, law, and power influences society and culture" ▹"1. racism is a part and parcel of our everyday lives and not an aberration" ▹"2. It serves important material and psychological purposes" ▹"3. Race is a social construct, not a biological one" ▹"4. People of color have a unique voice and experiences that can communicate the reality of people of color in a way that White people cannot"
Asset-based pedagogy
when students knowledge, experiences, struggles, achievements, and aspirations add value to the classroom relationships, curriculum content, school culture, and community activism. Teachers are encouraged to define students by what they can contribute and not by what they lack.This strategy required intersection of the care, hope, and healing.
•Since the middle of the 20th century, an unprecedented expansion of educational opportunities; more people then ever before have access to postsecondary options •YET
•Achievement gap between low-income and high-income children has grown by 30-40% between children born in 1976 and children born in 2001. •Rates of college completion have only marginally increased (four percentage points) for low-income cohorts born around 1980 •Rates of college completion have significantly increased (18 percentage points) for high-income cohorts born around the same time period.
America's teachers are on the front lines of connecting young people to opportunity, in the form of learning, employment, and emotional and physical health. BUT teachers often are dealing with structural inequalities that limit students from reaching their potential. These issues begin with:
❏Pollution ❏Stresses of poverty ❏Economic segregation ❏Inadequate school funding