Asserts that cultural diversity and democracy will always be in conflict with each other, examining oppression in a democratic society; an oppressor's view of the world; a pervasive dualism in perspectives; the inadequacy of current efforts to overcome the conflict between the oppressors and the oppressed; traits of oppressors that must be…

Investigates how social conflict was enacted at one racially diverse, urban middle school. Discusses symbolic fighting, the use of body language, the location of symbolic fighting, and symbolic fighting as a source of transformation, proposing to redefine the socializing role of social conflict in the lives of students and adults in schools.…

Presents a fictional account of one teacher's experience with an Aboriginal student, focusing on the details in each section of the story to highlight the many preconceived notions teachers may have when dealing with Aboriginal students. A sidebar offers guidelines for establishing a safe environment for discussing and learning about culturally…

Presents a case study of the University of Maryland Office of Human Relations Programs' (OHRP) efforts to confront Christian privilege and build a religiously, spiritually, faith-based, and secularly inclusive community campus-wide. Highlights four stages: rifts and tensions, reconnecting, reconceptualization, and realization. Concludes that…

Discusses the integration of innovative technologies into the K-12 curriculum and its impact on instructional programs for linguistically and culturally diverse students. Describes the debate over whether the culture of computing is inclusive or exclusive, examining: educational technology standards; information technology and fluency; speech…

Examines whether K-12 teachers are prepared to use technology in innovative and effective ways to authentically present multicultural education, examining the potential inability of teachers to provide an authentic version of multicultural education in the presence of technology as both an individual decision and as the result of generally…

Addresses cultural biases, language biases, cultural sensitivity, and the authenticity of educational software for children, critiquing several popular educational programs and revealing the pitfalls of software design and the problem among software engineers (lack of training and lack of cultural knowledge). Proposes tips to help parents and…

Examines specific features of the online Blackboard distance learning platform that enhance the advantages of alternative teacher certification programs, especially with regard to helping teachers develop a culturally relevant pedagogy. Focuses on North Carolina's NCTeach program, which provides an accelerated certification process for people…

Critically repositions the media (particularly newspapers) as a useful resource for teachers when conducting discussions of diversity and culture in their classrooms and school communities. Uses multicultural education theory, feminist theory, and personal poetry to explore how discourse informs and shapes understandings and perceptions by…

Teachers must be prepared to work in diverse schools. Preservice education programs and teacher educators must be culturally proficient to train them. Notes strategies for recruiting diverse faculty into education departments, discussing faculty mentoring and support, evaluation of faculty of color, teacher certification mandates versus…

Addressed the need to train teachers to work with culturally/linguistically diverse students, using a classroom case and online feedback from the case teacher and building a database of adapted lessons. Although cases were useful in promoting application of knowledge and skills, feedback and opportunity for reflection were essential. Computers…

Presents examples from various events that occurred in a classroom community that implemented a multicultural approach to teaching diverse, urban students. The words and actions of students and their families demonstrate the importance of the multicultural approach and the difference that it can make in their attitudes and lives. (SM)

Interviewed Mexican American and white students in eighth and eleventh grades to determine how they defined multiculturalism in their classrooms. Results indicated that respondents defined multiculturalism in the classroom using similar concepts as educators and scholars. Mexican American students, particularly younger ones, considered their…

Describes one educator's experiences teaching multicultural education and cultural diversity courses to predominantly white preservice teachers, discussing how she provided critical multicultural experiences to help students develop quality of mind, openness to difference, and competency in teaching diverse students. Discusses student…

One college professor had her students interview faculty members about their own cultures and cultural experiences and evaluate their own cultural experiences in school. Results found that for most students, the school environment was not multicultural. Describes some of the consciousness raising activities the professor used to help students…