Section archive - Multiculturalism & Diversity

This article argues that in Britain dominant educational discourses of ‘the ideal pupil’ exclude minority ethnic pupils and prevent them from inhabiting a position of authentic ‘success’. It suggests that ‘the successful pupil’ is a desired yet refused subject position for many minority ethnic young people – even for those who are (to some extent) performing educational success.

The article examines three conceptual reforms in US education and their effects on the education of multicultural and multilingual youth. The article also considers alternative certification programs. According to the author, although each reform improved preservice teachers' preparation to teach multilingual learners, none actually changed the education of under-served youth. The author inks the field's focus on the preparation of teachers for diverse students and the moral dimension of teacher education, concluding that such a connection may be the only way to maintain the professional school preparation of teachers.

This article traces the development of contemporary curriculum standards with regard to diversity and examines those standards in the context of a study of grade 7 students' understanding of diversity in New Brunswick. It presents evidence to suggest students are falling far short of expectations outlined in standards documents. While the sparse and fragmentary nature of student understanding should be of concern, this article also identifies key areas of concern about the development and implementation of the standards themselves. We argue that expecting teachers to teach toward, and students to attain, the standards might be unreasonable in light of these concerns.

The article examines the integration of primarily white preservice teachers into educational environments that include students of diverse cultures and races. The paper describes the use of diversity study circles as tools for the development of the culturally conscious preservice teachers.