Philosophy for Education in a Pluralistic Society
As a prospective administrator, I believe that every child, regardless of “gender, ethnicity, nationality, race, culture, language, social class, religion, exceptionality,literacy background, or language should experience educational equality” (Banks & McGee Banks, 2004, p. 25). Suchequalityreaches beyond the acquisition of basic academic and life skillsto encompass the total child;including growth and development in the affective domain. “Through multicultural education, [educators will] seek to promote equity and excellence” (Banks & McGee Banks, 2004, p. 291).Such an emphasis is needed because
Considerable empirical evidence exists which suggests the negative and inequitable treatment of students, particularly those of color, in public schools. Differential levels of success in schools distributed along race and social-class lines continue to be the most pernicious and prevailing dilemma of schooling (Lunenburg & Ornstein, 2004, p. 25).
Recognizing and celebrating diversity will require “culturally proficient leadership” (Banks & McGee Banks, 2004, p. 361) by one who recognizes that “knowledge of cultural diversity is an essential foundation for equality and excellence in both the process and outcomes of education” (Banks & McGee Banks, 2004, p. 234). Working to create a multiculturally-sensitive climate, the administratorwill seek toguide staff in the acquisition of knowledge, values, and behaviors needed to work effectively with students from diverse groups. Such a leader understands and communicates the impact of pluralistic issues on modern society because as
U.S. society becomes ever more pluralistic, pressures mount to ensure that the public school provides its diverse population with a common educational experience…equally strong are demands that schools respect and even promote the various cultures into which the school population was born” (Imber and Van Geel, 2000, p. 59).
By focusing on the five dimensions of multicultural education – content integration, knowledge construction, equitable pedagogy, prejudice reduction and building an empowering school culture, schools will discover ways in which each variable influences student behavior.
Making this concerted effort is necessary because
students arrive [in] classrooms with widely varied cultural backgrounds. Successful curriculum planning and development and the translation thereof into direct instruction must prepare all educators to help all students succeed. Each student has a right to be educated to his or her highest potential in a classroom that values cultural diversity (L. Null, personal communication, Summer 2004).
Through sustained staff development schoolsare ableto address the needs of our pluralistic society bydeveloping strategies for creating multicultural classrooms.
Effective management of multiculturalism will require each administrator and each faculty member to invent curriculum and instructional approaches to meet the needs of the unique student body at each school and the needs of each unique classroom. Student involvement in the development of multicultural curricula, individualization, and personalization [will be] indispensable (Henson, 2001, p. 92).
I believe that educators must always remember that their pupil expectations will indeed lead to self-fulfilling prophecies. We must truly believe that every child has strengths as well as weaknesses, regardless of ability level. Each has unlimited capabilities just waiting to be unleashed. We hold the key to unlocking that potential. By catering to individual strengths and weaknesses, we not only encourage children to believe in themselves, but equip them with the tools they will need to strive to achieve their very best.
I believe that learning cannot take place in an environment that is threatening or uncomfortable. Nor do I believe that learning can take place in an environment where creativity or individuality is stifled. Classroom environments must be failure free, warm, inviting, and stimulating. These multiculturally-sensitive classrooms are built around tenets of constructivist pedagogy where learning is meaningful and relevant to diverse learners.Such environments value individual student’s background knowledge and points of view. Students are actively involved in the learning process because teachers are “instructionally responsive to the diversity their students represent” (Banks & McGee Banks, 2004, p. 318).
In this era of school reform, no child can or should be left behind. Culturally proficient leadership will conceptualize school reform within a multicultural framework. In order
To implement multicultural education successfully, we must think of the school as a social system in which all its major variables are closely interrelated. Thinking of the school as a social system suggests that we must formulate and initiate a change strategy that reforms the total school environment to implement multicultural education (Banks & McGee, 2004, p. 22).
Finally, parent and community involvement plays a vital role in developing strategies to enhance multicultural issues by improving learning for all diverse students. Such involvement comes through open communication and the development of trusting relationships.
As an administrator, I will continually strive to maintain the ideals I have expressed in this philosophy throughout my career.
References
Banks, J. & McGee Banks, C. (2004). Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Henson, Kenneth. (2001). Curriculum planning: Integrating multiculturalism, constructivism, and educational reform (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Imber, M. & Van Geel, T. (2000). Education law (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Lunenburg, F. & Ornstein, A. (2004). Educational administration: Concepts and practices (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thompson Learning.
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