Adult Support for Multicultural Education in Schools

Introduction: Shared Responsibility for Multicultural Learning

Both teachers and parents need to take an active role in facilitating multicultural education. The challenge of helping all children excel in a multicultural environment is one that cannot be met by the school alone; parents must take an active role as well. The increasing ethnic diversity in society is causing schools to focus more intently than ever before on the concepts associated with effective communication in a multicultural educational environment. Both parents' and teachers' communication skills can have a profound effect on the attitudes and behaviors that students exhibit in school and at home.

For example, when children are taught that diversity is a "bad thing" and that they should learn to blend in and conform, they lose their sense of individuality and cultural identity. However, by teaching children to embrace diversity and to be proud of who they are and where they came from, both parents and teachers can enhance the development process and help to create well-rounded, well-adjusted students and individuals.

By helping children to view their environment as a resource from which to gain knowledge — drawing on the family, school, and community — teachers can help to readjust student mindsets so that learning is seen as an adventure rather than a chore. Furthermore, because schools often reflect the habits of the larger society, educators must additionally question their own belief systems and examine them in relation to their teaching practices.

The lack of true understanding of cultural diversity is not only leading to frustration for both teachers and students, but is also increasingly producing situations in which young people from different backgrounds fall behind both academically and socially. This is often a result of parents failing to adequately prepare their children for an environment that is far more diverse than the one they experience within the confines of their home. As Pattnaik (2003) states: "Without the participation of parents, the task of preparing all children for a multicultural world and equipping them with the requisite attitudes, knowledge, skills, and commitment to seek justice for all members in a diverse society will remain incomplete" (p. 18).

Cultural Values, Learning Styles, and Academic Achievement

An internal factor of linguistic and cultural development is the learner's cognitive abilities; an external factor is the manner in which they are taught. As Bennett (1995) points out, in different cultures, different types of knowledge and different ways of organizing knowledge are valued. Learning is a dialogue between input and the learner's pre-existing conceptualization of the world, developed through his or her experiences in a culturally constructed universe. Therefore, no matter how innately intelligent a child may be, the values and customs of his or her culture can have a dramatic effect on how they learn. The extent to which the parents of the child emphasize cultural heritage is also significant.

The attitudes parents have toward the importance of their children's education can also have a dramatic impact on how well students perform in school. For example, it is important for parents to convey to their children the importance of regular school attendance, rather than treating it as an arbitrary choice. According to Baker et al. (2001), among African-American and Hispanic households, rates of "parental-condoned absences" are often significantly higher than in other households. On the other hand, in Asian households, the rates of parental-condoned absence are often significantly lower. Too often, schools are inclined to overlook the fact that cultural differences can directly affect student behavior and achievement.

Strategies for Engaging Parents in Multicultural Education

For parents who do not speak English fluently, the prospect of participating in their child's education may seem intimidating. In order to get non-English-speaking parents involved in school activities, Pattnaik (2003) suggests developing "Family Projects" in which the entire family participates in an activity that supports multilingual households — such as field trips to community landmarks where the focus is on visuals rather than words.

Pattnaik also suggests creating "Interactive Family Learning Nights": "Interactive family learning nights could include such activities as: 1) 'Mommy/Daddy and Me' sessions, in which parents practice strategies, with guidance, to facilitate children's interactions with multicultural materials from the arts; 2) interactive sessions with a children's author or an ethnic minority artist; and 3) sharing family projects or unique multicultural experiences, such as a special trip to a multicultural art gallery, or attending a Special Olympics event at the state or international level" (pp. 20–21).

Parental involvement in the educational process can significantly enhance academic achievement. Allen and Tracy (2004) assert that home visits provided by schools encourage parents to become more involved in their children's education. The authors make a compelling point when they acknowledge that parents are really the child's first teachers — and before children are old enough to attend school, parents are essentially their only teachers. Therefore, what children learn at home can have a dramatic impact on how they adapt to a formal educational environment. For this reason, Allen and Tracy suggest that school personnel visit the homes of students to gain a better sense of how each child's learning style has developed. The researchers ultimately conclude that "home visiting can be a crucial strategy for bridging the gap between home and school" (p. 206).

A lack of appreciation for cultural diversity can also result from teachers failing to plan their curriculum in ways that address diversity — such as assigning books about different cultural backgrounds and encouraging multicultural activities, such as having each student bring in a typical meal from a different country (Ogbu, 1992). These are the types of activities that parents can become involved in as well.

Conclusion: Working Together Toward Cultural Equity

While neither educators nor parents can magically erase all cultural and ethnic barriers and inequities, any more than they can resolve all of the communication problems associated with an increasingly diverse classroom, they can achieve significant results by making a conscious and concerted effort to ensure that every student is treated fairly and in a manner that respects — rather than ignores — their cultural heritage.

References

Allen, S. F., & Tracy, E. M. (2004). Revitalizing the role of home visiting by school social workers. Children and Schools, 26, 197–208.

Baker, M. L., Sigmon, J. N., & Nugent, M. E. (2001). Truancy reduction: Keeping students in school. Juvenile Justice Bulletin, 1–14.

Bennett, C. (1995). Comprehensive multicultural education: Theory and practice (3rd ed.). Massachusetts: Allen & Bacon.

Goodman, J. F. (1998, December). Moral descriptors and the assessment of children. Journal of Moral Education, 27, 475–487.

Ogbu, J. U. (1992). Adaptation to minority status and impact on school success. In J. Noel (Ed.), Multicultural education (2000). McGraw-Hill.

Pattnaik, J. (2003). Multicultural literacy starts at home: Supporting parental involvement in multicultural education. Childhood Education, 80, 18–24.

Sleeter, C. (2002). Technology as a tool in multicultural teaching. Multicultural Education. Retrieved 7 February 2010 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3935/is_200201/ai_n9059183/print