AFT POSITION & POLICY IN REGARD TO MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION & IN REGARD TO ETHNIC GROUPS

AFT POSITION & POLICY IN REGARD TO MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION & IN REGARD TO ETHNIC GROUPS & THEIR RELATED EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS

Be it resolved, that the AFT adopt the following multicultural statement and related goals:

Multicultural education is education which values cultural pluralism. Multicultural education rejects the view that schools should seek to melt away cultural differences or the view that schools should merely tolerate cultural pluralism. Instead, multicultural education affirms that schools should be oriented toward the cultural enrichment of all children and youth through programs rooted to the preservation and extension of cultural alternatives. Multicultural education recognizes cultural diversity as a fact of life in American society, and it affirms that this cultural diversity is a valuable resource that should be preserved and extended. It affirms that major education institutions should strive to preserve and enhance cultural pluralism.

To endorse cultural pluralism is to endorse the principle that there is no one model American. To endorse cultural pluralism is to understand and appreciate the differences that exist among the nation's citizens. It is to see these differences as a positive force in the continuing development of a society which professes a wholesome respect for the intrinsic worth of every individual. Cultural pluralism is more than a temporary accommodation to placate racial and ethnic minorities. It is a concept that aims toward a heightened sense of being and of wholeness of the entire society based on the unique strengths of each of its parts.

Cultural pluralism rejects both assimilation and separatism as ultimate goals. The positive elements of a culturally pluralistic society will be realized only if there is a healthy interaction among the diverse groups which comprise the nation's citizens. Such interaction enables all to share in the richness of America's multicultural heritage. Such interaction provides a means for coping with intercultural tensions that are natural and cannot be avoided in a growing, dynamic society. To accept cultural pluralism is to recognize that no group lives in a vacuum-that each group exists as part of an interrelated whole.

If cultural pluralism is so basic a quality of our culture, it must become an integral part of the education process at every level. Education for cultural pluralism includes four major thrusts: (1) the teaching of values which support cultural diversity and individual uniqueness; (2) the encouragement of the qualitative expansion of existing ethnic cultures and their incorporation into the mainstream of American socioeconomic and political life; (3) the support of explorations in alternative and emerging life-styles; and (4) the encouragement of multiculturalism, multilingualism, and multidialectism. While schools must insure that all students are assisted in developing their skills to function effectively in society, such a commitment should not imply or permit demeaning of cultural differences.

Educational institutions play a major role in shaping the attitudes and beliefs of the nation's youth. These institutions bear the heavy task of preparing each generation to assume the rights and responsibilities of adult life. In helping the transition to a society that values cultural pluralism, educational institutions must provide leadership for the development of individual commitment to a social system where individual worth and dignity are fundamental tenets.  This provision means that schools and colleges must assure that their total educational process and educational content reflect a commitment to cultural pluralism.  We must reject as racist and unscientific theories of genetic racial inferiority promoted in the name of science.  In addition, special emphasis programs must be provided where all students are helped to understand that being different connotes neither superiority nor inferiority; programs where students of various social and ethnic backgrounds may learn freely from one another; programs that help different minority students understand who they are, where they are going, and how they can make their contribution to the society in which they live.

Colleges and universities engaged in the preparation of teachers have a central role in the positive development of our culturally pluralistic society.  If cultural pluralism is to become an integral part of the educational process, teachers and personnel must be prepared in an environment where the commitment to multicultural education is evident.  Evidence of this commitment includes such factors as a faculty and staff of multiethnic and multiracial character, a student body that is representative of the culturally diverse nature of the society, and a culturally pluralistic curriculum that accurately represents the diverse multicultural nature of American society.

Multicultural education programs for teachers are more than special courses or special learning experiences grafted onto the standard program.  The commitment to cultural pluralism must permeate all areas of the educational experience provided for prospective teachers.

Multicultural education reaches beyond awareness and understanding of cultural differences.  More important than the acceptance and support of these differences is the recognition of the right of these different cultures to exist.  The goal of cultural pluralism can be achieved only if there is full recognition of cultural differences and an effective educational program that makes cultural equality real and meaningful.  The attainment of this goal will bring a richness and quality of life that would be a long step toward realizing the democratic ideals of this nation. (End of Statement)

Summary of the Multicultural Statement:  Cultural differences are not to be dissipated nor merely tolerated.  They are to be fostered and utilized, in a positive way, as valuable resources that are aimed toward a heightened sense of being and of wholeness of the entire society based on the unique strengths of each of its parts.  Both assimilation and separatism are rejected as ultimate goals and replaced with healthy interaction among the diverse groups of our society.  Such interaction provides a means of coping with intercultural tensions that are natural and cannot be avoided in a growing, dynamic society.  To accept cultural pluralism is to recognize that no group lives in a vacuum-that each group exists as part of an interrelated whole.

GOALS:  Redefinition and redesign of education in the United States, and implementation of change, whenever and wherever possible, in the educational institutions, policies, and processes in relation to the preceding multicultural statement, particularly in the following areas or spheres:

• Curriculum policy and materials;

• Teacher educational and training institutions

• Continuing or extended teacher education of training;

• Teacher certification and teacher selection

• Government policies at any and all levels that affect education.