Multicultural Education: Development, Dimensions, and Challenges

Author(s): James A. Banks

Source: The Phi Delta Kappan, Vol. 75, No. 1 (Sep., 1993), pp. 22-28
Published by: Phi Delta Kappa International
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20405019
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 MulticulturalEducation

Developmnent Dimensions, and Callenges

Mr. Banks focuses on the

development and attainments
Ofmulticultural education - a
story that needs to be told, he
says, afor the sake of
balance, scholarly integrity,
and accuracy."

BY JAMEs A. BANKS

THE BITTER debate over the

literary and historical canon
that has been carried on in
the popular press and in sev
eral widely reviewed books 4
has overshadowed the progress that has
been made inmulticultural education dur
ing the last two decades. The debate has
also perpetuated harmful muisconceptions
about theory and practice inmulticultur
al education. Consequently, it has height
ened racial and ethnic tension and trivial
ized the field's remarkable accomplish- X
ments in theory, research, and curricu- r
lum. development. The truth about the de
velopment and attainments of multicul
tural education needs to be told for the I1
sake of balance, scholarly integrity, and
accuracy. But if I am to reveal the truth
about multicultural education, Imust first
identify and debunk some of the wide
spread myths and misconceptions about '
it.
Multicultural education is for the
others. One misconception about mul
ticultural education is that it is an en
titlement program and curriculum mo v e-e
JAMES A. BANKS is a professor of educa-S
tion and director of the center for Multicul
tujral Education at the University of Washing

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ment forAfricanAmericans, Hispanics, largepart because intergroupeducators edge implies action. Consequently, dif
the poor, women, and other victimized were never able topersuademainstream ferentconcepts, theories,andparadigms
groups.1 The major theorists and re educators to believe that the approach implydifferent kinds of actions.Multi
searchersinmulticulturaleducationagree was needed by and designed for all stu culturalists believe that, in order to have
thatthemovement is designed to restruc dents. To its bitter but quiet end, main valid knowledge, informationabout the
ture educational institutions so that all streameducatorsviewed intergroupedu social condition and experiences of the
students, includingmiddle-class white cation as something for schools with knower are essential.
males, will acquiretheknowledge, skills, racial problems and as something for A few critics of multicultural edu
andattitudesneeded to functioneffective "them" and not for "us." cation, such as John Leo and Dinesh
ly in a culturally and ethnically diverse Multicultural education isopposed to D'Souza, claim thatmulticulturaleduca
nation and world.2 Multicultural edu theWestern tradition. Another harm tion has reducedor displaced the study
cation, as itsmajor architects have con fulmisconception aboutmulticulturaled of Western civilization in the nation's
ceived it during the last decade, is not an ucation has been repeated so often by its schools and colleges. However, asGer
ethnic- or gender-specificmovement. It critics that many people take it as self ald Graff points out in his welcome book
is amovement designed to empower all evident. This is the claim that multicul Beyond theCultureWars, this claim is
studentsto become knowledgeable, car tural education is amovement that is op simply not true. Graff cites his own re
ing, and active citizens in a deeply trou posed to theWest and toWestern civiliza search at the college level and that of
bled and ethnicallypolarizednation and tion.Multicultural education is not anti ArthurApplebee at thehigh school level
world. West, because most writers of color - to substantiatehis conclusion thatEuro
The claim thatmulticulturaleducation such as Rudolfo Anaya, Paula Gunn Al pean and American male authors - such
is only for people of color and for the len, Maxine Hong Kingston, Maya An as Shakespeare,Dante, Chaucer,Twain,
disenfranchised is one of themost perni gelou, and Toni Morrison - are West and Hemingway - still dominate the re
cious anddamagingmisconceptionswith ernwriters.Multiculturaleducationitself quired reading lists in the nation'shigh
which the movement has had to cope. It isa thoroughly Westernmovement.Itgrew schools and colleges.5Graff found that,
has caused intractable problems and has out of a civil rightsmovement grounded in the cases he examined, most of the
hauntedmulticulturaleducationsince its in such democratic ideals of theWest as books by authors of color were optional
inception. Despite all that has been writ freedom,justice, and equality.Multicul rather than required reading.Applebee
ten and spoken about multicultural edu tural education seeks to extend to all found that, of the 10 book-length works
cation being for all students, the image people the ideals thatwere meant only for most frequently required in the high
of multicultural education as an entitle an elite few at the nation's birth. school grades, only one title was by a
ment program for the "others"remains Althoughmulticulturaleducationis not female author (Harper Lee's To Kill a
strong and vivid in the public imagina opposed to theWest, its advocates do de Mockingbird), andnot a singlework was
tion, as well as in the hearts and minds mand that the truth about the West be by a writer of color. Works by Shake
of many teachers and administrators. told, that its debt to people of color and speare, Steinbeck, andDickens headed
Teachers who teach in predominantly women be recognizedand includedin the the list.
white schools and districts often state curriculum,and thatthediscrepanciesbe Multicultural education will divide
that they don't have a program or plan tween the ideals of freedom and equality the nation. Many of its critics claim that
formulticulturaleducationbecause they and the realities of racism and sexism be multiculturaleducationwill divide thena
have few African American, Hispanic, or taught to students. Reflective action by tion and undercut its unity. Schlesinger
Asian American students. citizens is also an integral part of multi underscores this view in the title of his
When educators view multicultural edu cultural theory.Multicultural education book, The Disuniting of America: Re
cation as the study of the "others," it is views citizen action to improve society flections on aMulticulturalSociety.This
marginalized and held apart from main as an integral part of education in a de misconception is based partly on ques
streameducationreform.Several critics mocracy; it linksknowledge,values, em tionable assumptions about the nature of
of multicultural education, such as Arthur powerment, and action. Multicultural U.S. society and partly on amistaken un
Schlesinger, John Leo, and Paul Gray, education is also postmodern in its as derstanding of multicultural education.
have perpetuatedthe idea thatmulticul sumptionsaboutknowledge and knowl The claim thatmulticultural education
tural education is the study of the "oth edge construction; it challenges positiv will divide the nation assumes that the na
er" by defining it as synonymous with ist assumptions about the relationships tion is already united. While we are one
Afrocentriceducation.The historyof in between human values, knowledge, and nationpolitically, sociologically our na
tergroup education teaches us that only action. tion is deeply divided along lines of race,
when education reform related to diver Positivists, who are the intellectual gender, and class. The current debate
sity is viewed as essential for all students heirs of theEnlightenment,believe that about admitting gays into themilitary un
- and as promoting the broad public in it is possible to structureknowledge that derscores another deep division in our so
terest - will it have a reasonable chance is objective andbeyond the influenceof ciety.
of becoming institutionalizedin the na humanvalues and interests.Multicultur Multicultural education is designed
tion's schools, colleges, and universi al theorists maintain that knowledge is to help unify a deeply divided nation rath
ties.4 The intergroup education move positional, that it relates to the knower's er than to divide a highly cohesive one.
ment of the 1940s and 1950s failed in values and experiences, and thatknowl Multicultural education supportstheno

SEPTEMBER 1993 23

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 culture inwhich people frommany dif ticulturaleducation in its teachereduca
ferent cultures can interact, relate, and tion curricula includingboth thegeneral
engage in civic talk and action. Anzal and professional studies components."
dua states that "borders are set up to de Themarket for teachereducation text
changes
Curriculum fine the places that are safe and unsafe, books dealingwith multicultural educa
to distinguishus from them.A border is tion is now a substantial one. Most ma
with issues
linked a dividing line, a narrow strip along a jor publishers now have at least one text
steep edge. A borderland is a vague and in the field. Textbooks inother required
relatedto race undeterminedplace createdby the resi courses, such as educationalpsychology
due of an unnatural boundary. It is in a and the foundations of education, fre
constant state of transition."6 quently have separate chapters or a sig
evokeprimordial nificant number of pages devoted to ex
amining concepts and developments in
feelingsand reflect MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION multicultural education.
HAS MADE PROGRESS
Some of the nation's leading colleges
the racialcrisis. While it is still on the margins rather and universities, such as theUniversity
than in the center of the curriculum in of California at Berkeley, the Universi
most schools and colleges, multicultural ty of Minnesota, and Stanford Universi
contenthasmade significantinroadsinto ty, have either revised their general core
both the school and thecollege curricula curriculum to include ethnic content or
tion of e pluribus unum - out of many, within the last two decades. The truth have establishedan ethnic studiescourse
one. The multiculturalistsand theWest lies somewherebetween theclaim thatno requirement.The listof universitieswith
ern traditionalists,however, often differ progress has been made in infusing the similar kinds of requirements grows
about how the unum can best be attained. school and college curriculawith multi longer each year. However, the trans
Traditionally,the largerU.S. societyand ethnic content and the claim that such formation of the traditional canon on col
the schools tried to create unity by as content has replaced the European and lege and university campuses has often
similating students from diverse racial American classics. been bitter and divisive. All changes in
and ethnic groups into a mythical Anglo In the elementary and high schools, curriculum come slowly and painfully
American culture that required them to much more ethnic content appears in so to university campuses, but curriculum
experience a process of self-alienation. cial studies and language arts textbooks changes that are linked with issues relat
However, even when studentsof color today than was the case 20 years ago. ed to race evoke primordial feelings and
became culturallyassimilated, theywere In addition, some teachers assign works reflect the racial crisis in American so
often structurallyexcluded frommain written by authors of color along with the ciety. For example, at the University of
stream institutions. more standard American classics. In his Washington a bitter struggleendedwith
The multiculturalists view e pluribus study of book-length works used in the the defeat of the ethnic studies require
unum as an appropriate national goal, but high schools, Applebee concluded that ment.
they believe that the unum must be ne his most striking finding was how simi Changes are also coming to elementary
gotiated, discussed, and restructuredto lar present reading lists are to past ones and high school textbooks, as Jesus Gar
reflect the nation's ethnic and cultural and how little change has occurred. How cia points out elsewhere in this special
diversity. The reformulation of what it ever, he did note thatmany teachers use section of the Kappan. I believe that the
means to be united must be a process that anthologies as a mainstay of their litera demographic imperative is themajor fac
involves the participation of diverse ture programs and that 21% of the anthol tor driving the changes in school text
groups within the nation, such as peo ogy selections were written by women books. The color of the nation's student
ple of color, women, straights, gays, the and 14% by authors of color.7 body is changing rapidly. Nearly half
powerful, thepowerless, theyoung, and More classroom teachers today have (about 45.5%) of the nation's school-age
the old. The reformulation must also in studiedtheconceptsof multiculturaledu youths will be young people of color by
volve power sharingandparticipationby cation than at any previous point in our 2020.9 Black parents and brown parents
people frommany differentcultureswho history. A significant percentage of to are demanding that their leaders, their
must reach beyond their cultural and eth day's classroom teachers took a required images, their pain, and their dreams be
nic borders in order to create a common teacher education course inmulticultural mirrored in the textbooks that their chil
civic culture thatreflectsand contributes education when they were in college. The dren study in school.
to the well-being of all. This common multicultural education standard adopted Textbooks have always reflected the
civic culture will extend beyond the cul by the National Council for Accreditation myths, hopes, and dreams of people with
tural borders of any single group and con of Teacher Education in 1977, which be money and power. As African Ameri
stitute a civic "borderland"
culture. came effective in 1979, was amajor fac cans, Hispanics, Asians, and women be
InBorderlands,Gloria Anzaldutacon tor that stimulated the growth of multicul come more influential, textbooks will in
trasts cultural borders and borderlands tural education in teacher education pro creasingly reflect their hopes, dreams,
and calls for aweakening of the former grams. The standardstated: "The insti anddisappointments. Textbookswill have
in order to create a sharedborderland tutiongives evidenceof planningformul to survivein themarketplaceof a browner

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America. Because textbooks still carry data, and information from a variety of Collins have done some of themost im
the curriculum in the nation's public cultures and groups to illustratethekey portantwork related to knowledge con
schools, theywill remain an important concepts,principles,generalizations,and struction."1 This ground-breaking work,
focus for multicultural curriculum re theoriesin theirsubjectareaor discipline. although influentialamong scholarsand
formers. Inmany school districts as well as in pop curriculumdevelopers, has been over
ular writing, multicultural education is shadowed in the popularmedia by the
viewed almost solely as content integra heated debates about the canon. These
THE DIMENSIONS OF tion.This narrowconceptionofmulticul writers and researchershave seriously
MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION tural education is a major reason why challenged the claimsmade by theposi
One of theproblems thatcontinues to many teachers in such subjects as biolo tivists thatknowledge can be value-free,
plague themulticulturaleducationmove gy, physics, andmathematicsrejectmul and they have described the ways in
ment, both fromwithin andwithout, is ticulturaleducationas irrelevantto them which knowledge claims are influenced
the tendencyof teachers,administrators, and their students. by the gender and ethnic characteristics
policy makers, and the public to oversim In fact, thisdimensionof multicultur of theknower.These-scholarsargue that
plify theconcept.Multiculturaleducation al education probably has more relevance the human interestsand value assump
is a complex andmultidimensional con to social studies and language arts teach tions of those who create knowledge
cept, yet media commentators and edu ers than it does to physics andmath teach shouldbe identified,discussed, and ex
cators alike often focus on only one of ers. Physics and math teachers can insert amined.
itsmany dimensions.Some teachersview multicultural content into their subjects Code states that the sex of the knower
it only as the inclusion of content about - e.g., by using biographies of physi is epistemologically significantbecause
ethnicgroups into thecurriculum;others cists and mathematicians of color and ex knowledge is both subjective and ob
view it as an effort to reduce prejudice; amples from different cultural groups. jective. She maintains thatboth aspects
still others view it as the celebration of However, these kinds of activities are shouldbe recognizedanddiscussed.Col
ethnic holidays and events. After Imade probably not themost importantmulti lins, an African American sociologist,
a presentation in a school inwhich I de cultural tasks that can be undertaken by extendsandenrichestheworks of writers
scribed the major goals of multicultural science and math teachers. Activities re such asCode andHarding by describing
education, a math teacher told me that latedto theotherdimensionsof multicul the ways inwhich race and gender inter
what I said was fine and appropriate for tural education, such as the knowledge act to influenceknowledge construction.
language arts and social studies teachers construction process, prejudice reduc Collins calls the perspective of African
but that it had nothing to do with him. tion, and an equity pedagogy, are prob Americanwomen theperspectiveof "the
After all, he said, math was math, re ably the most fruitful areas for the mul outsider within." She writes, "As out
gardless of the color of the kids. ticultural involvement of science and siders within, Black women have a dis
This reaction on the part of a respect math teachers. tinctview of thecontradictionsbetween
ed teacher caused me to think more deep thedominantgroup'sactions and ideolo
ly about the images of multicultural edu gies."12
KNOWLEDGE CONSTRUCTION
cation that had been created by the key Curriculumtheoristsanddevelopers in
actors in the field. I wondered whether The knowledge constructionprocess multicultural education are applying to
we were partly responsible for this teachencompassestheproceduresbywhich so theclassroomthework beingdoneby the
er's narrow conception of multicultural cial, behavioral, and natural scientists feminist and ethnic studies epistemolo
educationasmerely content integration. create knowledge in theirdisciplines.A gists. InTransforming Knowledge, Eliz
It was in response to such statements by multicultural focus on knowledge con abethMinnich, a professorof philosophy
classroom teachersthatI conceptualized structionincludesdiscussionof theways and women's studies, has analyzed the
the dimensions of multicultural educa inwhich the implicit cultural assump natureof knowledge and describedhow
tion. Iwill use the following five dimen tions, framesof reference,perspectives, thedominanttradition,throughsuch log
sions to describe the field's major com and biases within a discipline influence ical errors as faulty generalization and
ponents and to highlight important de the constructionof knowledge. An ex circularreasoning,has contributedto the
velopmentswithin the last two decades: amination of the knowledge construction marginalizationof women.13
1) content integration,2) theknowledge process is an important part of multicul I have identifiedfive typesof knowl
constructionprocess, 3) prejudicereduc turalteaching.Teachers help studentsto edge anddescribed their implicationsfor
tion, 4) an equity pedagogy, and 5) an understandhow knowledge is createdand multicultural teaching.14Teachers need
empowering school culture and social how it is influenced by factors of race, to be aware of the various types of knowl
structure.10 Iwill devote most of the rest ethnicity, gender, and social class. edge so that they can structure a curric
of this article to the second of these Within the last decade, landmark work ulum thathelps students to understand
dimensions. related to theconstructionof knowledge each type. Teachers also need to use their
has been done by feminist social scien own cultural knowledge and that of their
tists and epistemologists, as well as by studentsto enrich teachingand learning.
CONTENT INTEGRATION scholars in ethnic studies. Working in The typesof knowledge I have identified
Content integration deals with the philosophy and sociology, SandraHar and described are: 1) personal/cultural,
extent towhich teachersuse examples, ding, Lorraine Code, and Patricia Hill 2) popular, 3) mainstream academic, 4)

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transformative, and 5) school. (Iwill not Mainstream academic knowledge is es AfricanAmerican studies,which formed
discuss schoolknowledge in thisarticle.) tablishedwithinmainstream profession the academic roots of the current mul
Personal/culturalknowledge consists al associations, such as the American ticulturaleducationmovement when it
of the concepts, explanations,and inter HistoricalAssociation and theAmerican emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, were
pretations thatstudentsderive fromper Psychological Association. It provides linked by several importantcharacter
sonal experiences in their homes, fami the interpretations that are taught inU. S. istics. Their works were transformative
lies, and community cultures. Cultural colleges and universities. because they created data, interpreta
conflict occurs in the classroom because The literary legacy of mainstream aca tions, and perspectives that challenged
much of thepersonal/culturalknowledge demic knowledge includes suchwriters those thatwere established by white,
thatstudentsfromdiverse culturalgroups as Shakespeare, Dante, Chaucer, and Ar mainstream scholarship.The work of the
bring to the classroom is inconsistent with istotle.Critics of multiculturaleducation, transformativescholars presented posi
school knowledge andwith the teacher's such as Schlesinger, D'Souza, andLeo, tive images of African Americans and
personal and cultural knowledge. For ex believe thatmainstreamacademicknowl refuted stereotypes thatwere pervasive
ample, research indicates thatmany Afri edge in thecurriculumisbeing displaced within theestablishedscholarshipof their
can American andMexican American stu by the new knowledge and interpreta time.
dents are more likely to experience aca tions that have been created by scholars Although they strove forobjectivity in
demic success incooperative ratherthan working in women's studies and in eth their works and wanted to be considered
in competitive learningenvironments.15 nic studies.However, mainstream aca scientific researchers, these transforma
Yet the typical school culture is highly demic knowledge is not only threatened tive scholarsviewed knowledge and ac
competitive, and children of color may fromwithout but also fromwithin. Post tion as tightly linked and became in
experience failure if they do not figure modem scholars in organizations such as volved in socialactionandadministration
out the implicit rules of the school cul theAmericanHistoricalAssociation, the themselves. Du Bois was active in social
ture. 16 American SociologicalAssociation, and protest and for many years was the edi
The popularknowledge that is institu theAmerican Political ScienceAssocia tor of Crisis, an official publication of the
tionalized by the mass media and other tion are challenging the dominant posi National Association for theAdvance
forces that shape the popular culture has tivist interpretationsandparadigmswith ment of Colored People. Woodson co
a strong influence on the values, percep in theirdisciplines and creating alterna founded the Association for the Study of
tions, and behavior of children and young tive explanations and perspectives. Negro (now Afro-American) Life and
people. The messages and images carried Transformative academic knowledge History, founded and edited the Jour
by the media, which Carlos Cortes calls challengesthe facts,concepts,paradigms, nal of Negro History, edited the Negro
the societalcurriculum,17 often reinforce themes, and explanations routinely accept History Bulletin for classroom teachers,
the stereotypesandmisconceptions about ed in mainstream academic knowledge. wrote school and college textbooks on
racial and ethnic groups that are institu Thosewho pursuetransformative academic Negro history, and founded Negro His
tionalizedwithin the larger society. knowledge seek to expand and substan toryWeek (nowAfro-American Histo
Of course, some films and other popu tially revise establishedcanons, theories, ryMonth).
larmedia forms do make positive contri explanations, and research methods. The Transformative academic knowledge
butions to racialunderstanding.Dances transformative research methods and the has experienced a renaissance since the
with Wolves, Glory, and Malcolm X are ory that have been developed inwomen's 1970s. Only a few of the most important
examples. However, there are many ways studies and in ethnic studies since the works can be mentioned here because of
to view such films, and both positive and 1970s constitute, in my view, the most space. Martin Bernal, in an important
negative examples of popular culture need importantdevelopmentsin social science two-volume work, Black Athena, has
to become a part of classroom discourse theory and research in the last 20 years. created new interpretations about the debt
and analysis. Like all human creations, It is important for teachers and students that Greece owes to Egypt and Phoeni
even these positive films are imperfect. to realize, however, that transformative cia. Before Bernal, Ivan Van Sertima and
The multiculturally informed and sensi academic scholarship has a long history Cheikh Anta Diop also created novel in
tive teacher needs to help students view in the United States and that the cur terpretations of the debt that Europe owes
these films, as well as other media pro rentethnic studiesmovement is directly to Africa. In two books, Indian Givers
ductions, from diverse cultural, ethnic, linked to an earlier ethnic studies move and Native Roots, Jack Weatherford de
and gender perspectives. ment that emerged in the late 1800s.18 scribes Native American contributions
The concepts, theories, and explana GeorgeWashingtonWilliams published that have enriched the world.
tions that constitute traditional Western volume 1 of the first history of African Ronald Takaki, in several influential
centric knowledge in history and in the Americans in 1882 and the second vol books, such as Iron Cages: Race and
social and behavioral sciences constitute ume in 1883. Other important works pub Culture in 19th-Century America and
mainstream academic knowledge. Tradi lished by African American transforma Strangers from a Different Shore: A His
tional interpretations of U.S. history - tive scholars in times past included works tory of Asian Americans, has given us
embodied in such headings as "The Eu by W. E. B. Du Bois, Carter Woodson, new ways to think about the ethnic ex
ropean Discovery of America" and "The Horace Mann Bond, and Charles Wes perience in America. The literary con
WestwardMovement" -are centralcon ley.'19 tribution to transformativescholarship
cepts inmainstreamacademicknowledge. The works of these early scholars in has also been rich, as shownby Th1eSig

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nifying Monkey: A Theory of African An equity pedagogy exists when teach Seventies are noteworthy and should be
American Literary Criticism, by Henry ers use techniques and teaching methods acknowledged. Those who have shaped
Louis Gates, Jr.; Long Black Song: Es that facilitate the academic achievement themovement during the intervening dec
says in Black American Literature and of students from diverse racial and eth ades have been able to obtain wide agree
Culture, by Houston Baker, Jr.; and nic groups and from all social classes. ment on the goals of and approaches to
Breaking Ice: An Anthology of Contem Using teaching techniques that cater to multicultural education.Most multicul
poraryAfrican-AmericanFiction, edited the learning and cultural styles of diverse turalists agree that the major goal of
by Terry McMillan. groups and using the techniques of co multicultural education is to restructure
A number of important works in the operative learning are some of the ways schools so that all students will acquire
transformative tradition that interrelate that teachers have found effective with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills need
race and gender have also been published students from diverse racial, ethnic, and ed to function in an ethnically and racial
since the 1970s. Important works in this language groups.21 ly diverse nation and world. As is the
genre include Unequal Sisters: A Multi An empowering school culture and so case with other interdisciplinary areas of
cultural Reader in U.S. Women's His cial structure will require the restructur study, debates within the field continue.
tory, edited by Carol Ellen DuBois and ing of the culture and organization of the These debates are consistent with the phi
Vicki Ruiz; Race, Gender, and Work: A school so that students from diverse ra losophy of a field that values democracy
Multicultural Economic History of Wom cial, ethnic, and social-class groups will and diversity. They are also a source of
en in the United States, by Teresa Amott experience educational equality and a strength.
and Julie Matthaei; Labor of Love, La sense of empowerment.This dimension Multicultural education is being imple
bor of Sorrow: Black Women, Work, and of multicultural education involves con mented widely in the nation's schools,
the Family from Slavery to the Present, ceptualizing the school as the unit of colleges, and universities. The large
by Jacqueline Jones; and The Forbidden change and making structural changes number of national conferences, school
Stitch: An Asian American Women's An within the schoolenvironment.Adopting district workshops, and teacher education
thology, edited by Shirley Geok-lin Lim, assessment techniques that are fair to all courses in multicultural education are
Mayumi Tsutakawa, andMargarita Don groups, doing away with tracking, and evidence of its success and perceived im
nelly. creating the belief among the staff mem portance. Although the process of inte
bers that all students can learn are impor gration of content is slow and often con
tant goals for schools that wish to create tentious, multicultural content is increas
THE OTHER DIMENSIONS ingly becoming a part of core courses in
a school culture and social structure that
The "prejudice reduction" dimension of are empowering and enhancing for a di schools and colleges. Textbook publish
multicultural education focuses on the verse studentbody. ers are also integrating ethnic and cultural
characteristics of children's racial atti content into their books, and the pace of
tudes and on strategies that can be used such integration is increasing.
to help students develop more positive ra MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION Despite its impressive successes, how
AND THE FUTURE ever, multicultural education faces seri
cial and ethnic attitudes. Since the 1960s,
social scientists have learned a great deal The achievements of multicultural edu ous challenges as we move toward the
about how racial attitudes in children de cation since the late Sixties and early next century. One of the most serious of
velop and about ways inwhich educators
can design interventions to help children
acquire more positive feelings toward
other racial groups. I have reviewed that
research in two recent publications and
refer Kappan readers to them for a com
prehensive discussion of this topic.20
This research tells us that by age 4
MUST EXPERIENCE!
African American, white, and Mexican SETCLAE SETCLAE
American children are aware of racial
differences and show racial preferences
Self-Esteem Through Culture Leads to
favoring whites. Students can be helped Academic Excellence, SETCLAE is the
to develop more positive racial attitudes most comprehensive, multiculturalAfricentric _ /
if realistic images of ethnic and racial curriculum forgrades K-1 2. InitialSETCLAE
groups are included in teaching materi packages include in-service training video, >
als in a consistent, natural, and integrat teacher's manual, workbooks, tests, lesson I
ed fashion. Involving students in vicari -
plans and more. A brochure or preview
ous experiences and in cooperative learn
material is available. Call 1-800-552-1991 ) t
ing activities with students of other ra
or write to African American Images, Dept. -"dA e ....
.M. .....
cial groups will also help them to devel
op more positive racial attitudes and be 9KA,1909W.95thStreet,ChicagoL60643. ........
haviors.

SEPTEMBER 1993 27

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 17. Carlos E. Cort?s, "The Societal Curriculum:
thesechallenges is thehighly organized, in Linda Darling-Hammond, ed., Review of Re
search in Education, vol. 19 (Washington, D.C: Implications for Multiethnic Education," in James
well-financed attack by theWestern tradi American Educational Research Association, A. Banks, ed., Education in the '80s: Multiethnic
1993),
tionalists who fear thatmulticultural edu pp. 3-49. Education (Washington, D.C.: National Education
cation will transform America in ways 11. Sandra Harding, Whose Science, Whose Knowl Association, 1981), pp. 24-32.
that will result in their own disempower edge? Thinking from Women's Lives (Ithaca, N.Y.: 18. James A. Banks, "African American Scholar
Cornell University Press, 1991); Lorraine Code, ship and the Evolution of Multicultural Education,"
ment. Ironically, the successes thatmul What Can She Know? Feminist Theory and the Con Journal of Negro Education, Summer 1992, pp.
ticultural education has experienced dur struction of Knowledge (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell 273-86.
ing the last decade have played a major University Press, 1991); and Patricia Hill Collins, 19. A bibliography that lists these and other more
Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Conscious recent works of transformative appears
role in provoking the attacks. scholarship
ness, and the Politics of Empowerment (New York: at the end of this article.
The debate over the canon and the 1990). 20. James A. Banks, "Multicultural Education: Its
Routledge,
well-orchestrated attackon multicultur 12. Collins, p. 11. Effects on Students' Racial and Gender Role Atti
al education reflect an identity crisis in 13. Elizabeth K. Minnich, Transforming Knowledge tudes," in James P. Shaver, ed., Handbook of Re
search on Social Studies Teaching and Learning
American society. The American iden (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1990).
York: Macmillan, and
14. James A. Banks, "The Canon Debate, Knowl (New 1991), pp. 459-69;
tity is being reshaped, as groups on the and Multicultural "Multicultural Education for Young Children:
edge Construction, Education," idem,
margins of society begin to participate Educational Researcher, June/July 1993, pp. 4-14.
Racial and Ethnic Attitudes and Their Modifica

in the mainstream and to demand that 15. Robert E. Slavin, Cooperative Learning (New tion," in Bernard Spodek, ed., Handbook of Re
York: Longman, search on the Education of Young Children (New
their visions be reflected in a transformed 1983).
16. Lisa D. Delpit, "The Silenced Dialogue: Pow York: Macmillan, 1993), pp. 236-50.
America. In the future, the sharing of er and Pedagogy in Educating Other People's Chil 21. Barbara J. R. Shade, ed., Culture, Style, and
power and the transformation of identity dren," Harvard Educational Review, vol. 58, 1988, the Educative Process (Springfield, 111.: Charles C
required to achieve lasting racial peace pp. 280-98. Thomas, 1989). IS

in America may be valued rather than

feared, for only in this way will we
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