ELEMENT STATEMENT: Preservice education students are exposed to examples of the successful teaching of ethnic- and language-minority students.

THE BIG PICTURE: For preservice students to translate theory and research about multicultural education into practice, they should learn of actual schools and programs that model effective practice in educating ethnic- and language-minority children. These schools and programs may take a variety of forms--from those that educate wide varieties of learners to those whose curriculum is designed for particular groups of students; from traditional, comprehensive schools to magnet schools with central foci; from programs that target instruction in all subjects to those that zoom in on single subjects.

Such schools and programs, regardless of type, exhibit or strive to realize the qualities characteristic of commendable practice in multicultural education. Such qualities are described in the How Multicultural Is Your School? checklist. Zeichner (1993) also lists specific guidelines for multicultural education in Key Elements for Effective Teaching of Ethnic- and Language-Minority Students.

GOALS:

• Teacher educators will help preservice students identify the characteristics of effective practice in multicultural education.

• Teacher educators will identify numerous schools and programs that effectively educate ethnic- and language-minority children.

• The teacher education curriculum will provide preservice students with experiences in schools and programs that effectively educate ethnic- and language-minority children.

IMPLICATIONS FOR ACTION: The following activities can be used in the teacher education classroom to enable preservice students to learn about successful teaching practices:

• Conduct field trips to local schools and programs that demonstrate effective practice in educating ethnic- and language-minority children. Engage preservice students in structured observation experiences, which might be organized around the procedures of ethnographic inquiry. During reflection on the visits, preservice students might be encouraged to identify commendable practices and to explain how these practices differ from their previous beliefs about what constitutes good education.

• Before preservice students visit schools and programs, have them read and discuss guidelines pertinent to the effective education of ethnic- and language-minority learners. Guidelines such as the How Multicultural Is Your School? checklist and Zeichner's (1993) Key Elements for Effective Teaching of Ethnic- and Language-Minority Students can serve as frameworks for observation and analysis. After visiting schools and programs, ask preservice students to identify how these guidelines are realized in actual practice. For example, in conjunction with the guideline of high expectations for all students (Zeichner, 1993), ask: "In what specific ways do teachers and schools convey and reinforce high expectations?"

• An inductive alternative to the previous activity is to have preservice students participate in school visits before reading and discussing guidelines for effective multicultural practices. Direct students, working in groups, to devise their own guidelines of commendable practices in multicultural education. Then, ask students to compare their lists to those of experts, identifying areas of agreement and discussing discrepancies. Preservice students may wish to revise their lists to incorporate the expertise of multicultural educators.

• After involving preservice students in any of these suggested experiences, ask them to apply what they have learned about the education of all learners to a hypothetical situation that is typical of school scenarios in the region. An example is provided in the Multicultural Reconstruction Project.

• Have students read descriptions and case studies of various schools and programs that successfully educate ethnic- and language-minority children.

OBSTACLES TO ACTION: Field trips for preservice students to observe culturally diverse schools and programs may be time-consuming and difficult to organize. Reading about such schools and programs may be the next best alternative for preservice students, but actual observations provide more authentic learning experiences.

DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW: Boyle-Baise and Sleeter (1996) caution that field experiences and observations of culturally diverse schools may reinforce the stereotypic thinking of preservice students. They note:

"Without help in processing what they see, preservice students may leave the field experience with more or stronger stereotypes than when they entered the field. For example, if one has heard that Asians are quiet or Mexican Americans are lazy, seeing a few students who fit the stereotype can confirm such beliefs." (p. 377)

ILLUSTRATIVE CASES: Following are descriptions of schools and programs that successfully educate ethnic- and language-minority students:

Hans Christian Andersen Open School, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Jefferson Middle School, Eugene, Oregon

Kanoon Magnet School, Chicago, Illinois

Valley Center Bilingual Education Program, Valley, California

Hollinger Elementary School, Tucson, Arizona

Ezequiel A. Balderas Elementary School, Fresno, California

DeMiguel Elementary School, Flagstaff, Arizona

Washington Elementary School, Sunnyside, Washington

Glassbrook Elementary School, Hayward, California

Facing History and Ourselves

References

Additional Reading for Element 11