Jen H's List: issues - diversity in schools

• Multiculturalism is a system of beliefs and behaviors that recognizes and  respects the presence of all diverse groups in an organization or society,  acknowledges and values their socio-cultural differences, and encourages and  enables their continued contribution within an inclusive cultural context which  empowers all within the organization or society.
• With recognition should also comes respect. Respect and recognition are not the  same
• Multiculturalism also entails acknowledging the validity of the cultural  expressions and contributions of the various groups. This is not to imply that  all cultural contributions are of equal value and social worth, or that all  should be tolerated. Some cultural practices are better than others for the  overall betterment of society.
• Multiculturalism thus means valuing what people have to offer, and not  rejecting or belittling it simply because it differs from what the majority, or  those in power, regard as important and of value.
• Education‹an intrinsic approach to education and curriculum construction that  acknowledges and respects the contributions which the various racial/ethnic  groups have made to society, and incorporates these contributions in an overall  program of instruction which meets the needs of an ever-changing society and is  sensitive to the personal and social development of all persons concerned.
• There are two dimensions to a holistic model of managing diversity‹horizontal  and vertical. The first, focused on the individual, is concerned with the  horizontal dimension of embracing and valuing differences. This area is of  tremendous importance, since individual students and staff that do not get  along, nor understand each other, are not able to maximize their greatest  potential for optimal excellence. Here is where workshops on prejudice, cultural  awareness, cross-cultural communication and conflict resolution are most helpful
• The mere presence of an ethnically and racially diverse student population, due  to legal, moral or social imperatives, does not make a school multicultural

• What makes a school multicultural is whether or not its "Five Ps":  

   
  • Perspectives  
  • Policies  
  • Programs  
  • Personnel  
  • Practices
  implement the following Four Imperatives:  
   
  1. Reflect the heterogeneity of the school‹the dynamic of Affirmative Action;  
  2. Are sensitive to the needs of the various groups comprising the student  population‹the dynamic of Valuing Differences;  
  3. Incorporate their contributions to the overall mission of the school‹the  dynamic of Managing Diversity;  
  4. Create a cultural and social ambiance that is inclusive and empowers all  groups in the school‹the dynamic of Living Diversity.
• It must also examine in what ways the vision, values, mission and structure of  the school contribute or undermine effective utilization of the assets all  persons bring to an school.
• The key dynamic in diversity management then is to maintain the two dimensions  of unity and diversity in balanced tension, without erring to either side.  Erring on the side of unity results in uniformity and sameness at the expense of  our human uniqueness and distinctiveness. Erring on the side of diversity  magnifies differences and separation at the expense of our common, shared  humanity. Unity is not synonymous with uniformity, neither is diversity  synonymous with separation. The solution to the tension is to respect and value  diversity while working for unity, otherwise exclusion is the result. Thus the  strength of a nation or organization lies in unity in diversity

8 more annotations...

• Stereotypes are a common, natural process that most humans engage in with the  purpose of simplifying their world. Potentially overwhelmed with stimuli, humans  need to categorize things in order to function. Stereotypes are a type  categorization about groups of people and applied to both the group and  individual level.
• a world where diversity is becoming the norm, it is important that people,  including children, are capable of transcending stereotypes to develop more  accurate understanding of others

• Recent research has identified several cognitive abilities, newly acquired  during middle childhood, that account for a longitudinal decline in prejudice in  some but not all children (Doyle & Aboud, 1995). These include recognition  of similarities among different racial groups, attention to individualized  information about members of outgroups, and reconciliation of racial differences  through understanding that there are many valid different ways of being.