The Debate over Multicultural Education in America

America has long been called "The Melting Pot" due to the fact


that it is made up of a varied mix of races, cultures, and ethnicities.   As more


and more immigrants come to America searching for a better life, the


population naturally becomes more diverse.   This has, in turn, spun a great


debate over multiculturalism.   Some of the issues under fire are who is


benefiting from the education, and how to present the material in a way so as


to offend the least amount of people.   There are many variations on these


themes as will be discussed later in this paper.




In the 1930's several educators called for programs of cultural diversity


that encouraged ethnic and minority students to study their respective


heritages.   This is not a simple feat due to the fact that there is much diversity


within individual cultures.   A look at a 1990 census shows that the American


population has changed more noticeably in the last ten years than in any other


time in the twentieth century, with one out of every four Americans


identifying themselves as black, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, or


American Indian (Gould 198).   The number of foreign born residents also


reached an all time high of twenty million, easily passing the 1980 record of


fourteen million.   Most people, from educators to philosophers, agree that an


important first step in successfully joining multiple cultures is to develop an


understanding of each others background. However, the similarities stop


there. One problem is in defining the term "multiculturalism".   When it is


looked at simply as meaning   the existence of a culturally integrated society,


many people have no problems.   However, when you go beyond that and try


to suggest a different way of arriving at that culturally integrated society,


Everyone seems to have a different opinion on what...