Intolerance in the Learning Community Education

Avoiding Intolerance and Discrimination in the Learning Community

Education in a Pluralistic Democracy

Although egalitarianism has often been espoused as one of the fundamental goals of democracy, it is obvious that social inequities in the United States have been continuously overlooked (Gollnick & Chinn, 1990, p. 22). Historically, minority groups and women have been subjected to institutional discrimination and barred from access to institutional mechanisms that foster the foundations toward equality (Gollnick & Chinn, 1990, p. 22). Fortunately, however, current political philosophy and rhetoric in the U.S. is moving away from the idea of an assimilationist melting pot toward an idea of cultural pluralism.

This newer philosophy advocates a view of society as a blend of diverse cultural, racial or religious groups who maintain their own identities while simultaneously sharing a larger common political organization, economic system, and social structure (Wlodkowski & Ginsberg, 1995, p. 17). For educational scholars and administrators, this new philosophy of cultural pluralism is most often aligned with a multicultural structure and curricula, in which the gender makeup and ethnic, racial, and cultural diversity of the society are reflected in educational institutions, including staff, norms, and values (Wlodkowski & Ginsberg, 1995, p. 17).

From an educational perspective, achieving a pluralistic democratic society that meets its ideal of equity and social justice is i

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ules and procedures are implemented by applying them to individuals (Meier et. al., 1989, p. 12). Different sets of individuals dominate these three stages of the policy process. School boards, at least in theory, set the overall school district policy, including policies on equal access to education (Meier et. al., 1989, p. 12). This is the level at which school policy is overtly made; however, it quickly becomes clear that it is not the only level at which this activity occurs. School district administrators play a major role in setting such overall policies although their true area of domination is in the translation of the general policies into specific administrative rules and procedures (Meier et. al, 1989, p. 12). Teachers, in turn, apply the administrative rules and procedures to individual students (Meier et. al, 1989, p. 12). At each stage of the process, decision-makers have discretion in their methods of application and implementation and these differing methods are what can effectively determine the equality of students' access to education. School board members, although they face constraints such as budget, federal laws, and state mandates, retain substantial autonomy to affect district policies. In addition

Category: Psychology - I