Multiculturalism and diversity in curriculum development

Today’s educators are responsible for providing all students with a quality, equitable education. This task has become more challenging as the cultural and demographic diversity continues to grow.

In order for education to be preparation for life in multicultural America, individuals must be educated on three levels: as members of the larger society, as members of a particular culture group, and as individual free to explore their potentialities beyond any group membership (Haberman & Post, 1994, p. 108). Each of these three levels, however, could be exclusive to one another when in the extreme.

In order to avoid the negative effect of the learning levels divide and let individual needs interface with various culture groups and societal demands, educators may need to make school curricula more accurately reflect our cultural diversity by understanding multiculturalism as: (a) a culture war; (b) personal values, human differences, and life choices; (c) a nation of diverse culture groups; (d) social justice and equity; (e) a process of making teaching and learning more relevant; (f) total school climate; (g) worldwide environment cooperation; and (h) learning to compete in a worldwide economy (Haberman & Post, 1994).

In terms of developing a quality curriculum at the school level, the following elements such as cultural, leadership, time, technical and material support for curriculum work; evaluation functions; and school goals and vision, are playing pivotal roles (Glatthorn, 1994, pp. 67-69). With all the support required, an ideal environment is created for the planners to start the curriculum work. When evaluating a program of studies, variables such as “goal-oriented”, “balanced”, “integrated”, “skills-reinforced”, “open-ended” and “responsive” should be taken into account as criteria (pp. 74-84).

Developing the school’s vision and goals provides a unifying focus for the faculty and gives a clear sense of direction for curriculum work. Generally speaking, a quality curriculum should be meaningful, technological, socially responsible, multicultural, reflective, holistic, global, open-ended, and outcomes based (Glatthorn, 2000, p. 50). Only when the educational goals are identified and then aligned with programs and subjects, a curriculum that makes the school unique and meets today’s basic needs can be developed successfully.

Readings:

Haberman, M., & Post, L. (1994). Multicultural schooling: Developing a curriculum for the real world. In Our Evolving Curriculum, Part I. Peabody Journal of Education, 69 (3), 101-115.

Townsend, B. L. (2000). Standards-based school reform and culturally diverse learners: Implications for effective leadership when the stakes are even higher. In Including special needs students in standards-based reform: A report on McREL's Diversity Roundtable III.

Ornstein, A. C., Behar-Idocenstein, L. S., & Pajak, E. F. (2003). Contemporary issues in curriculum (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Glatthorn, A. A. (2000). Developing vision and goals. In The principal as curriculum leader: Shaping what is taught and tested. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 47-55.

Glatthorn, A. A. (1994). Developing the school curriculum. In Developing a quality curriculum . Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 66-89.