31 August 1994

TO: WNMU School of Education Faculty

RE: Proposed Definition of Multicultural Education in Higher Education

From: Dr. Roy Howard, Dr. Andrés Rodríguez

Goal: improving the faculty member's ability to lead and participate in a pluralistic society, including skills of conflict mediation and resolution, and intercultural communication by considering attitudes that develop from different

external factors: history, geography, demography, socio-economics and politics,

and personal factors: socio-linguistics, culture, religion and individual and group psychology.

Attitudes to be addressed from these points of view include racial, ethnic, gender, economic, prejudice, power, racism, sexism, age, disability, and others.

Goal: Prepare teachers for a pluralistic classroom setting

School of Education
Western New Mexico University

5 October 1994

Multicultural Process Statement and Goals

A major responsibility of Western New Mexico University is to equip and prepare individuals for effective participation in a pluralistic society with emphasis on valuing Southwestern New Mexico cultures, by

·removing barriers to student achievement,

·promoting the development of languages and cultures as assets to our society,

·viewing students as critical thinkers capable of and responsible for creating change through action both in their own lives and in the broader society,

·promoting equality of power sharing, and facilitating effective communication among students, families, community members, staff, administration and faculty.

It is not enough to have a philosophy, we must also act upon it with specific goals that drive our plans and efforts. The suggested categories of goals begin on page 2. We also need to establish objectives that implement the goals.

WNMU School of Education Multicultural Goals: (proposed by Dr. Howard 5 October 94)

Goal 1

Develop the faculty members' ability to lead and participate in a pluralistic society,
including skills of conflict mediation/resolution, and intercultural communication, by considering attitudes that develop from different factors such as:
·external (history, geography, demography, socio-economics and politics) and
·internal (socio-linguistics, culture, religion, individual and group psychology).
Attitudes to be addressed from the point of view of these factors include racial, ethnic, gender, economic, prejudice, power, racism, sexism, age, disability, choice, equal opportunity, cultural pluralism, social inequality, and others.
and the adjustment of the curriculum to match the stated philosophy.

Goal 2

Prepare teachers for a pluralistic classroom setting, including strategies for validation and inclusion of all students, families, and communities, as well as instructional approaches that reach all students with curriculum perspectives from diverse cultures.
Validation and Inclusion: Perspectives (among others) should include the global economy; the celebration and maintenance of cultural traditions and languages; access by all students to technology, equality, respect, and service to others; language development issues; principles of intercultural communication that promote diversity; policies, regulations, resources, etc..
Instructional Approaches: Our students should include
·various approaches in their lessons and the adjustment of teaching methods so that all can learn;
·the building of bridges between capabilities of students and the demands of school and society; better relationships between their students; the inclusion of minorities and those with varied abilities in the curricula;
·concern with human diversity, choice, equal opportunity, cultural pluralism, etc.;
·the promotion of students taking charge of their own futures; and
·the active working of students in groups and as individuals to deal constructively with social problems.

Goal 3

Promote the improvement of society. We should consider categories such as these, quoted from the October, 1993 New Mexico Town Hall:

Intercultural Relations...the State's education system has failed to live up to its obligation as a facilitator and advocate of positive intercultural relations. It can serve as important means for drawing people together and for providing people of all cultures with the opportunity to interact on a closer level...to overcome the learned prejudices and cultural minisformation and stereotypes pepetuated by families societies.
Status and Power...Education also can be the primary means for providing individuals with the abilty to obtain economic and political status and power... The State's educational system tends to play a negative role with respect to how certain cultural groups are viewed and the perception of their relative "importance" within New Mexico's social, economic and political structures...
Education Levels...The system provides little encouragement for many students to obtain a higher level of education than is thought to be "appropriate" for their particular cultural status, or force students to learn in a language that is foreign to their cultural heritage.
Funding...There is an acute need for adequate funding to provide better teaching materials about the histories and traditions of different cultures that accurately depict and fully recognize the unique contributions they have made to the State's development.
Learning Styles...Educational processes and environments need to be transformed to reflect and respond to diverse cultural elements and individual learning styles.
Staffing...universities must improve their staffing policies in order to insure that more qualified individuals from a greater variety of cultures are in positions where they can interact with students and have the opportunity to influence their cultural views in a positive manner.
Training...teachers should be adequately compensated and funding must be available for appropriate training in sensitivity toward diversity and pluralism.