Multicultural/Community Education: An Exploration of a Relationship for Educational Improvement.

Overview & Synopsis

By discussing the commonalities of community and multicultural education; this monograph intends to provide a rational base for and encourage efforts toward coordination, cooperation, and integration of these two concepts. Part 1 addresses the conceptual structure of community education and multicultural education. Questions are listed that focus on melding the goals of the two concepts-- serving the community and representing all segments of the population. Next, the historical background of these two concepts is described. The section ends with a discussion of community involvement in implementation of both concepts. Part 2 contains material that focuses on the teacher in the classroom. Teacher preparation in both community education and multicultural education is considered as crucial to implementing the concepts. Requirements for an effective teacher in multicultural education are listed, and solutions for teacher inservice preparation are suggested. Questions for exploration of teachers' attitudes are also provided. The area of teacher and parent relations, an essential component for both community and multicultural education preparation, is then considered. Finally, standards and recommendations for teacher preparation are discussed. (YLB)