Rationale for multicultural education

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

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e is tantamount to cultural rejection" (Banks, 1981, p. 176). On the other hand, providing basic instruction in the students' primary language helps boost self-esteem because it shows a positive attitude regarding both language and culture. On this point, Lessow-Hurley (1990) has claimed that "schools must promote the idea that the language children bring to school is prestigious and appropriate for use by educated people" (p. 64). Valencia (1992) has likewise stated that bilingual and bicultural programs have a positive impact by showing students that "it is not un-American to be dominant in a language other than English" (p. 132). This attitude contrasts that of the assimilation model which was popular in the past. That model implied that English is academically superior to all other languages. Bilingual education's pluralistic approach does not make this implication; rather, it is based on the assumption that both ethnic and nonethnic languages deserve equal status in the schools (Ambert & Melendez, 1985, p. 9). This results in an increased sense of self-esteem and empowerment for LEP students because it avoids labeling them on the basis of their racial or cultural heritage. Such labeling has been shown to be detriment

Category: Psychology - R