abulary, reading comprehension and mathematics computations, concepts, and applications subscales of the CTBS. All data were analyzed separately using a multiple linear regression analysis for the fourth and sixth grade subjects of the program and control groups while controlling for the following variables: socioeconomic status, ethnicity, aptitude, language dominance, the amount of Spanish spoken in the student's homes, and the teachers' expectations of the students' academic growth.
Mosely (1983) observed several significant findings. These were that:
(1) Bilingual-multicultural education had a significant impact on numerical facility for both Hispanic and non-Hispanic pupils.
(2) When the effects of poverty were removed, bilingual-multicultural education was a much better program in terms of reading and mathematics improvement for both Hispanic and non-Hispanic pupils.
(3) Bilingual-multicultural education was a significantly better program for fourth grade Hispanic and non-Hispanic pupils regarding academic growth in reading vocabulary and mathematics computations.
(4) Bilingual-multicultural education was a significantly better program for sixth grade Hispanic and non-Hispanic pupils in regards to academic growth in the areas of reading comprehension and mathematics concepts.
In another early study of the effects of multicultural education, Cazden (1976) reported her experiences as a teacher of elementary level Black and Chicano children in San Diego. According to Cazden, as a result of their multicultural education experience, the children moved from negative attitudes toward Spanish to enjoyment of bilingualism. Moreover, they came to enjoy language learning, e.g., they invented spellings, delighted in reading nonsense materials, and displayed a sense of humor about language.
In more current research, the academic effects of three multicultural programs (sponsored by the Seattle public scho...