How Multicultural Is Your School?

The North Central Regional Laboratory (1995) has developed the following checklist to determine the quality of a school's multicultural practices:

"How Multicultural Is Your School?

GETTING STARTED: A CHECKLIST

Schoolwide Practice:

• Does our school foster understanding and acceptance of cultural differences?

• Does our school acknowledge and treat honestly and fairly the contributions of different cultural groups?

• Do our curricular materials accurately represent the histories, experiences, and contributions of various cultural groups?

• Does our school provide all students equal access to quality educational programs and learning experiences?

Teaching Practices:

• Does our school tap into students' family, language, and culture as foundations for learning?

• Do classroom practices encourage multiple intelligences and reflect an understanding of different learning styles?

• Do our teachers know how to use students' informal home language as a tool for developing formal literacy?

• Do our assessment methods reflect the diversity of students' learning styles, language, and culture?

School-Community Relations:

• Does our school link learning to families and resources in the local community?

• Is our school sensitive to the special needs and cultures of our parents?

• Does our school provide ongoing parent education and training so parents can learn ways to enhance their child's learning at home?

Professional Development:

• Do we provide opportunities for staff to gain knowledge about different cultural groups?

• Do teachers receive training to help them use students' family, language, and culture as foundations for learning?

• Do teachers receive training to help them work with culturally and linguistically diverse students and parents?"

References