| Education in a Culturally Diverse Society | | | | thinking and approaching education in such a way that |
| | | | all people are respected. More intercultural |
| The history of American education | | | | understanding and an awareness of social and global |
| provides a development of the needs for multicultural | | | | knowledge will need to be actively incorporated into |
| education. In the many years of social movements, | | | | our educational curriculums. Not only is knowledge of |
| we have seen many reasons for the growth | | | | other cultures required but also creative and critical |
| towards more multicultural inclusion. Survival of the | | | | thinking will be developed to create new policies |
| 1960’s social reforms will assist in directing our | | | | involving equalities in multicultural education. Change |
| educational communities toward a close | | | | in our school history has not been that easy because |
| reexamination of educational programs and the | | | | not all people or even educators have been open to |
| increasing need for redirection in our teacher | | | | changes. |
| preparations for such a change. What will need to be | | | | An educator must be trained to |
| done to be prepared for the next change in history, | | | | recognize, accept, and even value the cultural |
| multicultural education? | | | | differences of their new students. Educators will have |
| Social movements of the | | | | to be able to overcome obstacles involved with |
| 1960’s gave attention to the need for changes in | | | | cultural diversities. Beliefs will need to be incorporated |
| our education systems with regards to equality in | | | | into their educational philosophies that all students are |
| education. Civil rights pushed our society towards | | | | able to learn regardless of their gender, social class, |
| some forms of equality but now we have greater | | | | and ethnic or cultural diversities. Our school systems |
| issues because of the increase in other cultural | | | | need to make strides towards creating more equality |
| groups in the United States. These movements were | | | | in our schools with some positive feedback from |
| a mere stepping stone towards the changes that are | | | | teachers and students. A possible step towards the |
| now needed towards an overall multicultural education | | | | change to multicultural education is recognizing our |
| curriculum. The goals of our education systems are | | | | own biases, prejudices, and assumptions about other |
| to provide all children with an equal educational | | | | cultures in the world around us. As educators, we will |
| opportunity. This has not always been the case, yet | | | | need to attend some further training about diversities |
| we are making great strides toward being inclusive to | | | | and the development of positive attitudes regarding |
| all students. Our countries educational community | | | | multicultural education and its connection to some |
| recognizes a natural pattern of progression to | | | | peace and harmony amongst our differing cultures. |
| incorporate a positive attitude about developing a | | | | All people deserve to be educated |
| strong multicultural education system at this time in | | | | on equal terms. Even though our educational system |
| history. | | | | has developed through time to include many |
| We can go as far to describe the | | | | situations, and they may not be completely prepared |
| United States as a cultural landscape because we | | | | to completely change over to a multicultural |
| have so many different cultures, ethnics, and religious | | | | education curriculum, we are making progress toward |
| groups making up our culturally diverse society. We | | | | this phase in our history of American education. |
| have always been referred to as the ‘melting | | | | Professional development training of future educators |
| pot’ and even more so now with such a diverse | | | | as well as present educators will certainly move us |
| society. Never before in history have we had such | | | | towards a possible acceptance of multicultural |
| diversity and genuine opportunities to learn and | | | | education. Let us look to the future with eyes wide |
| develop knowledge of such cultures. With these new | | | | open and also with our minds completely open. Our |
| diversities comes the responsibility of educating all | | | | world is changing, so let us as educators embrace our |
| people with educational equality. Included with this | | | | opportunity to educate the world. |
| responsibility are required changes in our methods of | | | | |