Multicultural education has become its own discipline, developed on the
shoulders of the work of giants who argued its merit during the attacks
of opponents who believed assimilation was the purpose of state
sponsored education. In an age of rising populism and nationalism
throughout the Western world, again questioned is the merit of
multicultural education. In the shadows of Brexit and an America First
agenda, where migration patterns across the world have led to
demographic shifts, it is evident even in the richest countries in the
world that gaps in opportunity (and subsequently achievement) still
exist. Disparities in achievement lead some to question whether
multicultural education works and others to revert to old notions that
ethnically and linguistically marginalized students are in fact
deficient. The scholars here believe in the untapped potential of all
children and illuminate how educational structures have muffled the
cultivation of that potential. Contributors argue the goals of
multicultural education have not been achieved in part due to the
piecemeal application of its tenants.
The scholarship in this volume illustrates the state of multicultural
education and articulates what educators committed to equity, inclusion,
and a more just society must do to ensure the goals of multicultural
education survive in the current age. The authors of these chapters
bridge foundational knowledge with contemporary understandings; making
the work both accessible for novices and beneficial for the authorities
on multicultural education. With the diverse cast of contributors and
topics ranging from mathematics instruction to discipline practices,
this volume provides thoughtful discourse on issues of access: access to
curricular content, access to opportunities to learn, as well as
impediments to access. Containing chapters that speak to discipline
specific pedagogical practices, the structures of schooling, teacher
education, and research methodologies, the collected work encourages
scholars and practitioners to not be discouraged in the age of
retrenchment.
