By: Kelly Garcia and Lisa A. Boncardo EDUG 733 Approaches to Multicultural Education for the At Risk and Disabled Student Dr. Karen Nicholson

How can we better understand race and ethnicity in order to promote a classroom that is inclusive and reduce the negative impact on our students and ourselves?

 Race – A group of people sharing the same culture, history, language, etc. It refers to a person’s physical appearance, such as skin color, eye color, hair color, bone jaw structure, etc.  Ethnicity – Relates to cultural factors such as nationality, culture, ancestry, language and beliefs. Membership based on one’s national origin or the national origin of one’s ancestors when they immigrated to the United States.  (

 Colonial Period – approximately 175,000 Englishmen migrated to Colonial America  Mid-Nineteen Century – saw mainly an influx from northern Europe  Early Twentieth Century – mainly was from Southern and Eastern Europe  Post 1965 mostly from Latin America and Asia ( Sources: US Census Bureau; Statistical Yearbook, Immigration and Naturalization Service) Averages: 178,000 per year from , 195,000 per year from

 Having difficulty finding employment and housing.  Many citizens want to declare English as the official language and want to restrict bilingual signs and documents including books and resources.  Are blamed for committing crimes, overcrowded classrooms and failing schools.  (Gollnick & Chinn, p. 42)

 Racial profiling by police and others  Segregated schools  Discriminatory treatment as shoppers, diners, and employees

 Half the city’s 1,600-plus schools are over 90 percent black and Hispanic  The most segregated Hispanic schools are in Dominican Washington Heights and Central American Corona, Queens.  Two-thirds of the city’s most segregated public schools are black, concentrated in deeply isolated black neighborhoods in central Brooklyn and southeast Queens  (5/11/12) New York Times articleNew York Times article A Portrait of Segregation in New York City’s Schools By FORD FESSENDEN

 White people don’t have any rhythm.  African Americans are better at basketball and eat fried chicken.  French are rude, arrogant and cowardly.  English are racist, rude, pale and cold.  Asians are good in Math and Science.  All Muslims are terrorists.  Hispanics don’t speak English very well or not at all.  Native Americans love to gamble.  Irish people are big drinkers.  Italian people have mafia connections.

 Students from low-income households and students of color are more likely to be taught a low-level curriculum with low standards for performance. (Darling-Hammond, 2010)  One of three Asian American students completed a calculus-level course, compared to 16% of white, 7% of Latino, 6% of American Indian, and 5% of African American students. (U.S. Department of Education, 2007)  Students in high-poverty and high-minority schools are more likely to be taught by unqualified teachers who are not certified to teach and did not major in the subject they were teaching (Darling-Hammond, 2010).

 Once teachers believe that discrimination exists in society and the school, they are more likely to believe students of color when they report incidents of racism or discrimination.  Rather than pretending that race and ethnicity do not exist, teachers should acknowledge the differences and be aware of ways they can influence learning.  Equity does not mean sameness; students can be treated differently, as long as the treatment is fair and appropriate, to accomplish the goal of learning.

 Students who obtain more education will be at a great advantage – postsecondary education or technical training will be essential for an opportunity to support a family or secure a middle-class lifestyle.  Traditional knowledge and skills in Math, Language Arts, and Science is not being displaced by a new set of skills. Students who have more advanced math courses and master higher skills will have more of an advantage.  Rather than reproduce information for just test taking, students will have to apply what they learn in those subjects to deal with real world challenges.

 Students who think critically about information, solve novel problems, communicate and collaborate, create new products and processes, and adapt to change will be at a greater advantage in work and life.  Applied skills and competencies can best be taught in the context of academic curriculum, not as a replacement for it or “add on” to it.