Running Head: Week 2 Essay 1

Week 2 Essay

by

James Lacayo

TED 602 Educational Foundations

Joe Ohlinger

National University

April 15, 2016

Week 2 Essay 2

Like many different areas of the American experience education has changed

dramatically though the years and continues to do so today. Included in these changes is the idea

of equality of education for culturally diverse students as well as students with disabilities. This

can be seen by looking at the cultural diversity of the United States, multiculturalism, inclusion,

and by looking at the implications of these changes on my teaching philosophy. Let's begin with

looking at cultural diversity in America.

Cultural Diversity

America is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. This diversity has

impacts in many different areas, one of them is education. As Spring notes, "globalization of the

labor market and Immigration Act of 1965 have resulted in an increasingly diverse student

population" (2014, p. 132). This diversity is reflected in schools across the country, sometimes

there is more diversity in some schools than there are in others, but in general it can be seen all

across the country. This issue has many different implications for the classroom; one of the most

important is how to provide an equal education to students from various cultures. This has not

always been the case and in fact in the early on the government handled the idea of cultural

diversity in anything but an equal way. The idea was to assimilate students from different

cultures into American culture by slowly taking that culture away from them. An example can

be seen in what happened to students with a Mexican background, "those Mexican children who

attend school faced segregation and an education designed to rid them of their native language

and customs" (Spring, 2014, p. 135). So how has education changed to address the idea of

cultural diversity?

Multiculturalism
Week 2 Essay 3

It seems that the education system has come a long way since the Civil Rights movement

of the 1960's. There has been an ideological shift in the way that different cultures should be

included into the educational setting. This multiculturalism is noted in the idea of multicultural

education. The main way that multicultural education changes the educational experience of

students is by including those cultures into lessons, "a fundamental aspect of multicultural

education is that different students have different ways of knowing and seeing the world"

(Spring, 2014, p. 157). Throughout the years students from different cultures have suffered from

being neglected. There are higher dropout rates and in turn higher poverty rates among these

cultures. However, by including cultures into the educational setting this sort of occurrence

should be corrected. Spring states, "ethnic studies can empower dominated and oppressed

immigrant cultures by creating an understanding of the methods of culture domination and by

helping build self-esteem" (2014, p. 165). Although these changes have been implemented there

is still more to be done in the future. "The history of Mexican American, Asian American, and

Native American schooling highlights serious issues regarding the responsibility of the schools

to preserve language and cultural traditions" (Spring, 2014, p. 153). The way to do this is by

continuing to train educators in multicultural education.

Inclusion

Multiculturalism is not the only area to be incorporated into the educational experience,

there has been in advancements in the way schools handle students who have disabilities. One

way that this can be seen is with the idea of inclusion, "the term inclusion is the most frequently

used word to refer to the integration of children with disabilities into regular classrooms"

(Spring, 2014, p. 122). In the past children with disabilities, depending on what they were,

would have their own classrooms and not be a part of the general school population. However,
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now the thought is that by giving students the chance to be in regular classrooms and have

specially tailored lessons that address their particular issue the student will advance beyond that

which they would have done in a separate class. There are many different pros and cons that can

be said about this idea of inclusion. Those in favor of inclusion feel that students with

disabilities will have a higher quality education. Those against it feel that teachers are not

properly trained to deal with students with disabilities and that by including them in regular

classes other students will suffer from a lack of attention from the teacher. No matter how one

looks at it the idea of inclusion seems to be one that should at least be attempted. Teachers can

be trained and classes can be tailored to address attention problems. Students with disabilities

should have equal access to regular classrooms and education.

Implications for Teaching

I think that it is very important that teachers always strive to make the educational

experience as equal as possible to all students. By knowing about multicultural education a

teacher can implement strategies to include cultures into their lessons. I think that this is not

only beneficial to students from different cultures but it is also important for other students.

There is so much that can be learned from the experience of others that it would be ridiculous not

to include them into lessons. Even though the idea of including students with disabilities into

regular classrooms may be difficult for teachers, especially those not trained to handle it, the

long term benefits to the student cannot be ignored. The best way to combat these difficulties is

by training teachers and providing them with resources.

By looking at the cultural diversity of the United States, multiculturalism, inclusion, and

the implications for my teaching philosophy, one can see how education has changed. It seems

that the educational experience is improving and is on its way to becoming equal for students
Week 2 Essay 5

especially culturally diverse students and those with disabilities. However, there is still a long

way to go and the idea of equality must always be reflected on by teachers and those who make

educational policy decisions.

Week 2 Essay 6

References

Spring, Joel. (2014). American Education. (16th ed). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.