Multicultural Library

While the debate over the merits of licensure testing for new teacher applicants continues in Massachusetts, many students who might have considered careers as teachers are discouraged and in some cases considering other options. This article looks at this issue from 4 interrelated perspectives: the Northeast's changing demographics, resulting in higher numbers of minority and language diverse children entering classrooms; the need for accurate and detailed information from the Massachusetts Department of Education on the pass rates of minorities taking the teacher tests; the argument from psychometricians that these tests are flawed; and, finally, the argument that a variety of measurements, beyond a single standardized test, should be utilized to ascertain candidates' classroom abilities. At a time when teacher shortages loom larger and larger, we should be welcoming minority and language diverse candidates into our ranks instead of raising the stakes even higher.     

Collaborations Between Multicultural Educators and Archivists: Engaging Students with Multicultural History Through Archival Research Projects

When multicultural educators and archivists collaborate to design projects that engage students with multicultural history through archival research, students can learn in-depth research skills with primary source documents, creatively share their knowledge, and, on a broader level, engage with their local community history. The projects shared in this article serve as examples of how partnerships between multicultural educators and archivists can occur, the types of projects that can be developed and how they are implemented, and students' responses to their work. The three student projects, including a display, a history guidebook, and an oral history project, are intended to offer a variety of ideas to inspire multicultural educators to reach out to their local archivists to develop archival research projects of their own. And, to promote effective and fruitful partnerships, also included are lessons learned as well as tips for successful collaborations between multicultural educators and archivists.     

Un-Settling Multicultural Erasures

This essay begins by naming liberal forms of multiculturalism as a complicit discourse and theory in the erasure of Indigenous peoples. For example, it troubles the false narrative of the United States as a “nation of immigrants,” offered up so frequently as a corrective to the current administration's divisive rhetoric and policies. The essay underscores the important role of educators in interrupting the settler logics that pervade liberal educational spaces. Drawing examples from one of the author's hometowns, it presents critical inquiry as one viable approach for supporting students' understanding of the connections between place, power, and knowledge production.     

Overcoming Cultural Racism: The Promise of Multicultural Education

The author argues that cultural racism undergirds both individual and institutional racism, and, thus, it is the driving force behind racist policies and practices in educational institutions and in society. Because both liberal and conservative agendas operate within an ideology of White supremacy, both have been inadequate in addressing cultural racism. A multicultural movement that explores the concept of "Whiteness" and that encourages educators and students to take an antiracist stance can provide an important response to cultural racism.     

In Russia: Multicultural Strategies of an Elementary Teacher

With the impact of democracy on the system of education in Russia, the education policymakers and teachers have begun to consider and implement the ideas of multicultural education in elementary and secondary schools. To prove it, the author of the article concentrates on a case study and describes some of the multicultural techniques and strategies used by an elementary teacher from the Republic of Bashkortostan (Central Russia) with whom the author has been collaborating over the last decade.     

Late antiquity and early Islam: A review essay

Cameron, Averil and King, G.R.D., eds. The Byzantine and Early Islamic Near East II: Land Use and Settlement Patterns (Papers of the Second Workshop on Late Antiquity and Early Islam. Studies in Late Antiquity and Early Islam 1), volume 2. Princeton: The Darwin Press, 1994. xiv+270pp., 57 figures/plates; US$ 35 (cloth).

Cameron, Averil, ed. The Byzantine and Early Islamic Near East III: States, Resources and Armies (Papers of the Third Workshop on Late Antiquity and Early Islam. Studies in Late Antiquity and Early Islam 1), volume 3. Princeton: The Darwin Press, 1995. xvi+491pp., 3 maps, US$ 35 (cloth).

Noth, Albrecht. The Early Arabic Historical Tradition. A Source‐Critical Study, translated by Michael Bonner, in collaboration with Lawrence I. Conrad (Studies in Late Antiquity and Early Islam 3). Princeton: The Darwin Press, 1994; second edition. xi+249pp., US$27.50 (cloth).     

Montana's Indian Education for All: Applying Multicultural Education Theory

Montana's constitutional commitment to the cultural heritages of American Indians exemplifies the practical application of multicultural education. In this article, the authors explore the goals and evolution of Indian Education for All within a multicultural education framework, and discuss how educators are best prepared to implement this transformative educational policy.     

Multicultural Vignettes for Teacher Preparation

Future teachers need to attain skills, knowledge, and positive dispositions in multicultural education to provide a culturally sensitive learning environment. It is the responsibility of teacher educators to use tools of assessment to train and gauge student progress toward this end. The purpose of this article is to describe the process of creating and using vignettes as a classroom assessment tool to better prepare teacher candidates for diverse classrooms. Results from our experiences using vignettes indicate that most students are only beginning to develop proficient performance standards, and need additional learning experiences. Implications for using vignettes to partially address National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education standards and prepare students for the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) test are also presented and discussed.