(1996). The Newest \Outsiders\: Educating Mexican Migrant and Immigrant Youth. This chapter discusses the educational needs of Mexican immigrant children and effective practices that meet those needs. During 1984-92, the number of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in public schools grew 70 percent to 2.3 million; three fourths of LEP students spoke Spanish; and 40 percent of these were born in Mexico. Increased immigration and demands on public schools have led to attempts to deny education to undocumented immigrant children, but the courts have upheld these children's access to education and mandated provision of special programs for LEP students. Case studies of two immigrant Mexican families illustrate some problems of immigrant students and how schools fail to provide necessary programs and supports. A brief overview examines the strengths and weaknesses of secondary-level program options: English for speakers of other languages, bilingual programs, and newcomers' programs providing counseling and English instruction. Characteristics of schools… [PDF]
(1989). Neighborhood Organizing for Urban School Reform. This book analyzes how community-based organizations in low income urban neighborhoods can promote reform of their local public schools. Chapter 1, "Reassessing the Declining Urban Neighborhood," discusses the sources of urban decline in terms of a structural relationship between "haves" and "have-nots." Chapter 2, "Reassessing Victimhood," explores residents' attitudes toward schools. Chapter 3, "The Failures of Inner-City Public Schools," is a brief analysis of the complexity of the schooling process, which obscures the operation of institutional racism and class prejudice. Chapter 4, "The Limits of Popular Reform Movements," compares and contrasts several recently proposed models of school reform. Chapter 5, "Forerunners of Citizen Influence in Education," and Chapter 6, "The Liberal Legacy of Citizen Participation in Education," form a historical review of citizen participation in schools over the…
(1974). Pushouts: New Outcasts from Public School. A Transcript of \Options on Education,\ September 9, 1974. \Pushouts\ are victims of discriminatory discipline procedures in public schools. Pushouts first came into view with the publication of a book by the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial and the Southern Regional Council. The book is called \The Student Pushout: Victim of Continued Resistance to Desegregation.\ The Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare has been collecting statistical information regarding subjective determinations based on race that enter into disciplinary actions that result in students being pushed out of schools. The figures indicate that the percentage of minorities subject to disciplinary action, suspensions, or expulsions exceed their percentages in school systems. Not every suspended student is being pushed out, of course. The disproportionate suspension statistics may actually reflect behavior. In one school district the school superintendent testified in open court that institutional racism was the reason for the disproportion…. [PDF]
(1993). Gender Equity: A 20 Year Perspective. This paper describes progress made between 1973 and 1993 toward creating gender equity in education, with a focus on the Oregon experience. Four topics are addressed: (1) law and policy; (2) language; (3) the culture of school; and (4) school administration. Law and policy are needed at least to change behaviors, though they may not be sufficient to change attitudes. Regarding language, the implications of the words \gender\ and \sex\ are discussed. Gender is not a biological distinction but is socially constructed. Regarding gender equity in the culture of schools, it is argued that schools can maximize or minimize the differences between males and females. Unless schools directly confront institutional racism and sexism, they are not dealing with the issues. Regarding gender equity in school administration, there are now more women in educational administration, primarily in elementary and secondary principalships. However, very few superintendents are women. Women's move into… [PDF]
(1989). The HAWK Federation and the Development of Black Adolescent Males: Toward a Solution to the Crises of America's Young Black Men. Testimony before the Select Committee on Children, Youth and Families. Congressional Hearings on America's Young Black Men: Isolated and in Trouble (Washington, D.C., July 25, 1989). Sources of the crises faced by young black men lie not in the young men, but in society which portrays them as stereotypes. Social conditions are at the root of the following problems of black males: (1) lowered life expectancy; (2) risk of criminality; (3) poor economic conditions; (4) inadequate education; (5) drugs and gang violence; and (6) health risks associated with sexual behavior. The major societal flaw ultimately is racism. To combat the present devastation of the black community and American society, prevention efforts must promote positive youth development and self-esteem. The overall strategy of the HAWK Federation is to reinforce positive black manhood, grounded in African traditions. The HAWK training program, an attempt to influence the values and moral development of young black men, currently operates in a high school in Sacramento (California). Data from the first year confirm its utility in improving academic achievement. The program, which has intentionally…
(1991). Multicultural Education: Strategies for Implementation in Colleges and Universities. This book of 15 author-contributed chapters provides pragmatic illustrations of how to implement multicultural education in college and university courses of study, and presents strategies for both transforming curricula and the training of effective multicultural educators. Section I focuses on instructional strategies for schools that possess diverse student populations. Section II examines teacher preparation programs in effective interaction strategies for culturally diverse classrooms. The third section highlights key issues when establishing a climate for change. Chapters are as follows: \A Review of the Multicultural Education Literature\ (Patricia L. Francis); \Using Effective Teaching Strategies in the Multicultural Classroom\ (Donald Reyes); \Teaching and Learning with Culturally Diverse Students: A Teacher Preparation Course at a Comprehensive Public University\ (Mario Yepes-Baraya); \Teaching about Cultural Diversity: Challenge and Response at a Community College\… [PDF]
(1992). Increasing Multicultural Understanding: A Comprehensive Model. Multiculltural Aspects of Counseling Series 1. This book sets forth a process for implementing effective education and counseling strategies for culturally diverse populations. In particular, it helps to identify characteristics of cultures, to make comparisons between the dominant culture and culturally different groups, and to develop strategies or interventions for students or clients. Key to this work is a model presented in the first chapter for understanding the role of culture in the life of the individual and for exploring ethnic differences. This model finds the individual at the center of concentric half circles surrounded first by family, community, culture, and global influences. In this model, self-awareness is fundamental as a first step toward understanding culture's role. The cultural influence circle contains concepts of acculturation, poverty, history of oppression, language and the arts, racism and prejudice, socio-political factors, child rearing practices, religious practices, family structure, and cultural…
(1995). Facing History and Ourselves: Initial Evaluation of an Inner-City Middle School Implementation. Facing History and Ourselves (FHAO) is an interdisciplinary moral education program that uses the case study of the Holocaust and World War II to develop middle and high school students' critical thinking abilities, trying to help students make connections between this history and current issues of prejudice, racism, and hatred. In the spring of the 1993-94 school year, FHAO conducted a pilot study of an eighth-grade program implementation in a mid-Atlantic urban school district. The study evaluated increases in students' historical knowledge and their ability to make connections between historical events and current issues. Sixty-four students from two predominantly African American classes, one class receiving the FHAO intervention and the other serving as a control group participated. The experimental group showed a significantly greater gain in historical knowledge of the period, based on responses to matching test items and short-answer questions, although the quality of… [PDF] [Direct]
(1993). Multiculturalism as a Policy for Disarming Gang Violence in Communities at Large and in Schools. Those who try to deal with violence in U.S. communities and schools have tended to concentrate on suppression of violence, rather than real prevention, particularly as violence is associated with youth gangs. This discussion focuses on multiculturalism as a policy for reducing gang violence, rather than strategies that have been used to deal with youth gangs, which include community organization, social intervention, provision of social and economic opportunities, organizational development, and suppression. Institutional racism is perhaps the most important issue involved in the formation of gangs and their inappropriate activities, although it is by no means the only cause. The incorporation of the process of multiculturalism into the concept of community policing may assist in reduction of all forms of violence in our society, including gangs. The racial and ethnic character of the police force must reflect the composition of the community. Education to make students more… [PDF]
(1996). Latina Sororities and Higher Education: The Ties That Bind. Research on U.S. "Greek" sororities has typically addressed issues dealing with White women in higher education. In contrast, this case study sought to identify the cultural behaviors and group norms that serve to enhance academic achievement and reinforce personal growth among members of a Latina sorority. In fall 1993, interviews were conducted with 12 members of a Latina sorority at a northwestern university. Their testimonies reveal that the reasons for joining this Latina sorority are in profound contrast to those given by White women who join sororities. Moreover, the members view the organization as a means for preserving or regaining an individual, yet collective, ethnic identity. Additionally, findings indicate that the formation of this Latina sorority was a response to institutionalized racism; feelings of isolation and alienation; needs for emotional, psychological, and social support; and a need to belong to a family. Cultural themes that emerged from the data… [PDF]
(1987). Black Child in Crisis. Final Report of the Public Forums and Symposia May-October, 1986. The negative effects of poverty, alienation, and racism influence the lives of black children most heavily. This report covering Michigan presents information and recommendations concerning the continuing decline in the quality of life for black children. It is the culmination of a series of activities including forums, symposia, and conferences on the black child in crisis. The discussion topics are the following: (1) the black family's struggle to survive; (2) education as a means for escaping poverty and achieving social mobility; (3) health: a sound mind in a sound body; and (4) job and economic security: fighting poverty, creating self-respect. The action-oriented recommendations offered for each of these topics include legislative initiatives and policy reviews and reforms. Key recommendations include the following: (1) fund a 10-year project to analyze and treat issues concerning the black family and child; (2) provide more day care; (3) encourage more parent and student…
(1999). Angry Young Men: How Parents, Teachers, and Counselors Can Help \Bad Boys\ Become Good Men. This book examines conceivable links between young male criminality and physical, emotional, or sexual abuse; lack of mentoring by older males; the inculcation of shame by adults; child poverty and neglect; social and political disenfranchisement; inappropriate, inadequate, and ineffectual education; spiritual impoverishment; father absence; lack of economic opportunity; combat sports; corporal punishment; rigid gender roles; anti-boy bias; the media; easy access to guns and alcohol; substance abuse and the criminalization of drugs; class disparities and racism; and other largely preventable and treatable influences in boys' formative years. A number of personal stories from the author's violent and incarcerated adolescence are presented throughout. Reports from other men who were swallowed by the dark maw of sociopathy in their youth, yet returned to make valuable contributions to their communities, are also included. These accounts are followed with observations about the…
(2002). Moving Up Is a Steep Climb: Parents' Work and Children's Welfare in the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Jobs Initiative. This monograph presents findings from ethnographic research about parents' work and children's welfare in the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Job Initiative. The Initiative was designed to improve the futures of poor, inner city people who were disadvantaged in their previous work efforts because of inadequate education, immigrant/refugee status, incarceration, racism, substance abuse, or inappropriate work experience. The Initiative provided support and assistance to community based organizations and other groups helping low-income workers secure living-wage jobs with benefits and advancement opportunities. Study data came from discussions with and observations of over 400 people associated with 10 Job Initiative families. Chapter 1 presents key lessons about the Initiative. Chapter 2 uses excerpts from Initiative participants to illustrate how work and family intersect for good and ill, elaborating challenges economically disadvantaged families face trying to reach family-supporting… [PDF]
(1994). Researching Language and Literacy in Social Context. A collection of readings addresses issues in empirical investigation of language and literacy in a social context, and provide models useful to researchers undertaking small-scale studies. They include: "Introducing Ethnography" (Martyn Hammersley); "The Relations between Researcher and Researched: Ethics, Advocacy and Empowerment" (D. Cameron, and others); "Observing and Recording Talk in Educational Settings" (Joan Swann); "Negotiation as a Critical Factor in Learning To Read in a Second Language" (Eve Gregory); "Through Whose Eyes? Exploring Racism through Literature with White Students" (Beverley Naidoo); "'I Treat Them All the Same': Teacher-Pupil Talk in Multi-Ethnic Classrooms" (A. P. Biggs, Viv Edwards); "Reading as a Social Process in a Middle School Classroom" (David Bloome); "Children's Voices: Talk, Knowledge and Identity" (Janet Maybin); "Gender Inequalities in Classroom Talk"…
(1991). When Difference Means Disaster: Reflections on a Teacher Education Strategy for Countering Student Resistance to Diversity. A required course for elementary education majors at Santa Clara University (California), "Introduction to Teaching in a Multicultural Society," evolved during a 6-year period. The course moved from one with an emphasis on promoting equity, tolerance, and improved human relations through curriculum and instructional strategies to one that encourages a critical examination of racism and other forms of oppression with th objective of developing student empathy and advocacy. The course currently uses documentary films and videos to provide students with graphic and controversial views of the United States and a world they did not know existed. In addition, students read articles about race and ethnicity from various points of view and are asked to position themselves ideologically. The teaching methods have also changed from lecture to group discussion and activities designed to provoke thought and encourage student interaction. To increase social awareness, students are…