Social, Economic and Ethnic Bias Reform

This website states, "The 'problem of the 21st century' is rapidly expanding diversity alongside stubbornly persistent status and power inequities by race, ethnicity, gender, class, language, citizenship and region. Extensive technological, economic, political and social changes, along with immigration, combine to produce a global community of great diversity and interpenetration. Unfortunately, this global community continues to be fractured by extreme disparities in wealth and power, divided into 'haves' and 'have-nots', as different communities interact, overlap, exchange, and compete for scarce resources."

This ERIC.gov site references a 16-page journal regarding a “multicultural training intervention that addresses American Indian stereotypes perpetuated through the use of American Indians and corresponding imagery as mascots by schools and athletic teams. With the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development's tripartite model of multicultural competence (awareness, knowledge, skills) as a framework, this intervention's description is organized into three components: perspective-taking to facilitate awareness of attitudes about Native-themed mascots, specific knowledge about race-based mascots, and social justice skills that can empower counselors to become advocates for change.”

This Department of Education piece states, "Most people agree that despite progress made, educational equity and opportunity remains out of reach for many students from diverse language and cultural backgrounds. For example, of all students enrolled in low-performing schools, 42 percent are black and 33 percent are Latino. Furthermore, these students are much more likely to be taught by teachers with less experience than those leading classrooms in more affluent, mostly white school districts."  However, the author affirms, "There is some good news. Communities that recognize the value of language and cultural diversity have contributed to the proliferation of dual-language programs in schools across the country."

This ERIC web site references a publication that reflects the need to prepare students for working in diverse organizations. The book was developed to increase school officials' awareness of bias in instructional materials and help them select bias-free materials. A number of the examples illustrate situations dealing with diversity in the workplace. The guide is divided into three parts: guidelines and procedure for evaluating bias in instructional materials, bias awareness training worksheets, and bias awareness and procedure training course. Examples of biasing elements and a bias review checklist are included. A 23-item bibliography and sections about the following types of bias: gender bias; racial/ethnic bias; bias against physical, mental, or emotional disabilities; and socioeconomic bias are also included. A list of slurs reflective of the particular bias, and training worksheets consisting of questions to help identify bias in materials.

This Department of Education website provides useful information concerning programs administered by Student Achievement and School Accountability (SASA) programs and issues that are important to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Within this website, there are links to Title I, Part A  , Title III , School Improvement Grants, Homeless, Title I, Part D and Enhanced Assessment Grants. Information may be searched on a state-by-state basis.

This ERIC web site references literature that investigates why and how teacher educators bridged the gap between multicultural and global education in order to prepare teachers for diversity and equity. Respondents wrote about lived experiences which shaped their world views. Significant differences existed between white and nonwhite teachers' experiences. Several interrelated qualities in teachers' experiences emerged.