Aed Reading

Equality is the heart and essence of democracy, freedom, and justice.

A. Philip Randolph, 1942

ISBN: 0-536-29978-1

Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society, Seventh Edition, by Donna M. Gollnick and Philip C. Chinn. Published by Prentice-Hall/Merrill. Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Chapter

1

Foundations of Multicultural Education

ou are just beginning your first teaching position in a nearby urban area. Like many new teachers in an urban area, you were offered the job only a few weeks before school started. You had never been to that part of the city but were sure you could make a difference in the lives of students there. Soon you learn that many students have single parents, many of whom work two jobs to make ends meet. More than half of the students are eligible for free lunch. The families of some students do not speak English at home, but the principal says the students speak English. You are disappointed in the condition of the school, and your classroom in particular, but have been assured it will be repainted during one of the vacation periods. When students arrive on the first day, you are not surprised that a large proportion of them are from families who immigrated from Central America during the past two decades. The population includes some African American students and a few European American students. You did not realize that the class would include a student who had just moved from Bulgaria and spoke no English and that the native language of two students was Farsi. You have taken a few Spanish courses but know little or nothing about the language or cultures of Bulgaria and Iran. You wonder about the white boy with the black eye but guess that he has been in a fight recently.

Y

ISBN: 0-536-29978-1

3

Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society, Seventh Edition, by Donna M. Gollnick and Philip C. Chinn. Published by Prentice-Hall/Merrill. Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.

1. What...