Multicultural Education int the United States

The world is made up of many different types of people, each one having his or her cultural background. Over the years, the United States has become increasingly populated with cultural diversity. This influx has prompted school administrators to recognize the need to incorporate multicultural programs into their school environment including classroom settings, school wide activities, and curriculum as it becomes more evident that the benefits of teaching cultural diversity within the school setting will positively influence our communities, and ultimately the entire nation’s future. The purpose of this paper is to share the pros and cons of multicultural education in the classroom. Additionally, I will express my views compared to those in the reading requirements for this assignment, as well as, new knowledge obtained through the research. Finally, I will share situations where I was challenged introducing a multicultural issue during a class.
The United States has a history of being viewed as a superior culture in which weaker cultures must adapt. However, this attitude has been cause of repression and conflict among the different cultures. As a result, activists have worked for years pushing to empower cultures; thus, encouraging unity rather than cultural divide for the strength of our nation as a whole. According to John Ogbu (1978), every "minority" group has a unique history in the United States that needs to be studied, understood, and validated to more authentically understand, support, and educate them. Education experts have responded to the overall push for this unification by developing an interdisciplinary approach in the development of multicultural education.
Multicultural education is a progressive...

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...cators support such programs, and seek effective ways of incorporating it into their school community while others feel that addressing these issues is not their professional responsibility, however, should be reserved for trained educators in social sciences and civics classes, and indirectly supported within every other classroom.

Works Cited

Ford, D. (2014). Why education must be multicultural. Gifted Child Today, 37(1), 59-62.

Manning, L. & Baruth. L. (2009). Multicultural education of children and adolescents (5th Ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Ogbu, J. U. (1978). Minority education and caste: The American system in cross-cultural perspective. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Howard, A. S., & Solberg, S. H. (2006). School-based social justice: The achieving success identity path-ways program. Professional School Counseling, 9(4), 278-287.