Cummins' framework for empowering minority students through language

Minority Students

Review of Cummins' "Empowering Minority Students"

Jim Cummins, professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, considers that the personal and institutional methods of providing instruction to minority students must be redefined to improve their educational performance outcomes. He theorizes that past failures in compensatory and bilingual education has been a result of "bicultural ambivalence" and the current methodology must be reformed to empower minority students by encouraging them to embrace their native language and culture. He believes that this requires improved interactions at three levels: between teacher and student, schools and minority communities, and the cultural groups to the larger society. The framework Cummins proposes to rework the educational institution for the benefit of the minority student involves incorporating the student's language into the school program, encouraging the participation of the minority community with the school, promoting the student's use of language to improve his learning development, and the advocating of minority student support in the educational community. He believes that reaching out to the minority student body, to provide them the language tools and support necessary to reverse their failure rates, will empower them to succeed in their educational endeavors.