The rationale for multicultural education is based on the concept that it is inevitable. It is inevitable because the United States is a pluralistic society. The United States has had a long history of immigration from various parts of the world. As a result, many different cultures are represented in today's schools. In fact, census figures indicate that "minorities already constitute a majority of students in 23 of 25 largest school districts" (Haberman & Post, 1990, p. 32). Because the United States is a multicultural society, it is also a multilingual society (Banks, 1981, p. 159). In this regard, there is evidence that more than twenty million U.S. residents speak a language other than English at home; of these, nearly 4.5 million are school-age children (Ambert & Melendez, 1985, p. xiii). This situation raises problems because English is the standard language in the schools. Students who have a language other than English as their native language are designated as Limited English Proficiency (LEP) children. In the American school system, such children obviously have a disadvantage over native speakers of the English language.
Because of these factors, bilingual and bicultural education programs are a necessary element in today's schools. According to Lessow-Hurley (1990), the "ever-increasing numbers of immigrants from all over the world" require a "continued demand for teachers with skills to work with limited English proficient students" (p. 12). Haberman and Post (1990) have further indicated that the role of education in America is to prepare children for life in a multicultural society (p. 31). It is important that all children learn proficiency in English, because English is the official language and such proficiency increases one's educational and employment opportunities. However, it is also important that LEP children be given an opportunity to learn basic academic skills while simultaneously learning to...