Final Exam

Multicultural Education
May 4, 2015

Page 173 #9.1

In what ways have movements for social justice recognized sexual orientation and
gender identity? How have they ignored sexual orientation and gender identity?
Why do LGBTQ issues pose a challenge for social justice movements and
multicultural education? What do LGBTQ issues bring to social justice movements
and multicultural education?
Movements for social justice have made great strides in the acceptance of the
LGBTQ community and have led to a lot more exposure for those that fall into that
category. In turn has been the reason for the increase for states allowing gay
marriage. In our society today you see more of an acceptance of others despite of
their sexual orientation or gender identity. Sexuality and gender identity has been a
controversial issue for years and is an issue that is still evolving. There is hesitation
in addressing this issue but it is becoming less as the movements for equality grow.
LGBTQ issues that pose challenges are partly because of the reluctance to identity
the lifestyle as a cultural group. LGBTQ issues have helped some schools begin to
include in their curriculum, topics on gender identity and social orientation that are
being included in nondiscrimination laws and school policies. While on the other
hand there are some states being open to teaching about the LGBTQ community
there are other states that have laws and/or bills to forbid the discussion if minority
sexuality in the curricula.
Page 214 #11.6
What are the steps you can take to combat racism on everyday levels? Do you see
racism in your own life? How and where?
To combat racism I feel that as a human being I should be accepting of everyone
regardless of the color of their skin. This is something I strive to do every day and
teach my kids the same. I grew up with friends of all races and it was never
anything I ever thought about and I have tried my best to teach my children the
same thing. In our society we live, daily, with racism and it saddens me because we
are all human beings and have feelings and want to be accepted. In my workplace I
see and hear racist actions and comments and it is a struggle for me personally to
contain my reaction. I have always been a nurturing type of person and for me to
see one discriminated against for any reason. I think we all see and hear racist
comments or see someone we know personally discriminate against someone for a

reason as simple as what their hair looks like or what color their skin is and I try to
address it whenever it is appropriate.

Page 235 #12.1

What did you learn about immigrant students and their schooling in this chapter?
Imagine you are asked to provide a 30-minute workshop for grade-level teachers
and staff in your school. What concepts and principles would you incorporate into
this workshop?
I knew that the child population has a growing number students and that immigrant
students accounted for some of that but was not aware that almost all of it was due
to immigrant students. Many demographers predict that by 2025, approximately
20 to 25 percent of immigrant students enrolled in public schools will have limited
proficiency in English. (Banks and Banks, pg. 219) I was aware that there was a
need for more teaching of the English language in our schools, to aid students in
learning, but to read that there will still be a 20-25 percent limited, English
proficiency among immigrant students in public schools, was discouraging. There
are lots of students that are considered English learners and have a need to learn
the language at a proficient level.
If I had to present a workshop I would address issues such as the goal of the
Bilingual Education Act (BEA) and what the purpose of the act and what it was
designed to accomplish. I would also discuss the discouraging numbers and talk
about ways to help these students become for proficient in the English language.
The instructional programs that have been implemented over the last several
decades would also be a topic of discussion.

Page 263 #13.10

In your view, what is the most critical challenge currently facing the education of
exceptional students?
I feel that the most critical challenge is the fact there are so many unknown factors
when dealing with exceptional students and it is a challenge in deciding how to
educate them and even parent them. There are so many things that taken into
account when educating these students yet there are some many other things that
must be addressed. Teachers should be afforded the opportunity to meet with the
students and work on relationship building before being thrown into the teaching
and educating role. I feel that when there are efforts made to learn what works and
doesnt work with these students it helps to prepare for ways to educate them.
There has to be that investment into the student and the training to ensure the
educator is in a position to make a positive difference.

Page 346 #17.1

Compare the roles of parents in school during the colonial period and now. Identify
and discuss changes that have occurred and changes you would like to see occur in
parent involvement.
In the early part of our country parents were mostly responsible for the education of
their children and schools were looked out as an extension of the home. There were
values and expectations that the students had and they were instilled in them by
their parents and their community. Society changed over the years and education
was less influenced by their parents and the responsibility to educate them was
transferred to the school. Educating students was thought to be something that a
trained professional was qualified to do. The family dynamics has changed over the
years as well making it hard for parental involvement in the schools and at home
with enforcing what the students learn. I would like to see more parental and
community involvement in educating our children. There is such a sense of
entitlement among students and in some cases the parents and it seems as if there
is no accountability for the actions and behavior of the students. I think there should
be required times in the year for community service among the students and for
parents to complete with their children and that workshops are held to help parents
help their students at home.