Why Is A Multicultural Classroom Library Important?

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Why is a Multicultural Classroom Library Important?
When looking at why multiculturalism in school and classroom libraries it is important to understand why there is the need. According to Ruth A. Oswald and Lynn Atkinson Smolen have multicultural books is “timely” because of the “increasing diversity in our schools”. According to the National Center of Education Statistics (2010), 45 percent of U.S. public school population enrolled in kindergarten through twelfth grade comes from diverse racial and ethnic background” (Multicultural Literature and Response: Affirming Diverse Voices pg.xi). Educators want to help develop children become empathic, understanding, and tolerant adults, by doing these things educators hope to lessen bullying and …show more content…

There are different genres, lengths, topics and styles but when selecting multicultural children’s literacy there are important guidelines to follow. According to Bishop,
If our society is to meet the challenges of democratic pluralism, all students need to recognize the diversity that defines the society, learn to respect it and see it in a positive light. In schools that appear to be increasingly segregated along lines of color and class, literature, television, and other media may present some of the few opportunities for all students to encounter people of different racial, ethnic, and socio-economic groups. Literature, then, becomes one of the ways in which schools can affirm pluralism” (pg.3). There are many different types of books in classroom libraries.
There are different genres, lengths, topics and styles but when selecting multicultural children’s literacy there are important guidelines to follow. Mei-Yu Lu included a list of guidelines list to follow when selecting multicultural books for classroom libraries. The guidelines were developed by Beilke (1986), Harada (1995), Harris (1991), and Pang, Colvin, Tran, & Yang (1992). They recommend that multicultural literature …show more content…

Our school is primarily white. According to WISEdash we had 364 students enrolled for the 2014-2015 school year. Of those students 88.2% were white, .8% were American Indian. 2.2% Black, 7.1% Hispanic. Student’s families are also extremely poor 56.9% of the students are considered economically disadvantage. Knowing those statistics, I am very aware of the students and their families and the backgrounds they come from. As an educator I want my students to reach their highest potential and part of that is being a well-rounded

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