|
WSSDA
Diversity Consultant Services |
What is Multicultural
Education?
Multicultural
Education is not about problems:
- With too many
minorities;
- With hate crimes
and gangs; or
- With political
pressure from "special interest
groups."
Multicultural
Education is about strengthening education
throughout Washington State:
- By helping all
schools make the most of the multi-ethnic and
varied backgrounds of their staffs;
- By making ALL
children feel comfortable at school; and,
- By equipping all
involved in the learning process with the
necessary skills to live in a multicultural
USA and global society in the 21st century.
Therefore,
Multicultural Education can be seen as a desirable
and valuable part of the educational process of
every district, school and classroom.
Gregory
Eliyu Guldin, Ph.D.
|
Diversity Consultant
Services
Washington State's school
population is increasingly culturally diverse. Too often,
however, due to the inequities arising from factors as
diverse as poverty, language, gender, culture, sexual
orientation, lifestyle, family structure and ethnicity,
not every child gets an equal chance to learn. WSSDA wants
to help school districts address these diversity issues.
Assistance specifically
geared to the special needs of local school districts is
available in the following areas:
- Diversity Training -
Selected from the following workshop modules or
specifically designed to meet district needs;
- Training and/or
facilitation in conflict resolution;
- Developing and
addressing a diversity plan;
- Recruiting and retaining
a diverse staff;
- Diversity intervention;
and,
- Conducting an
equity/needs assessment;
- Mediation services.
The following workshops are
also available through WSSDA's Diversity Consultant
Services.
Workshop Modules
Why Multicultural
Education?
A primer for school boards, administrators, and others on
the approaches, rationales, and goals of cultural
diversity and Multicultural Education programs in the
school.
Cross-Cultural
(Mis-)Communication in the Classroom
An introductory level discussion of multicultural
education approaches and problems for teachers,
para-educators, and administrators.
Style Wars: Is it
Personal or is it Cultural?
An intermediate level discussion of cross-cultural
classroom conflicts with an emphasis on problem-solving
across cultures for teachers, para-educators, and
administrators.
Poor Kids in
School: The Effects of Poverty on Learning
A review of what we know about the long-term effects of
poverty on education, including how to improve poor kids'
chances in school. For school board members, teaching
staff, and administrators.
Name Calling:
Responding to Cultural Diversity
An introduction to cultural diversity questions
emphasizing the total educational and school environment.
For certified staff.
No Black, No White,
No Yellow: The Myth of Race
An unusual approach to anti-racism education. Focuses on
human commonalities as well as our capacity for cultural
variation. An anthropological casting out of the very way
we think of human differences. Good for all groups.
What Needs to Be
Done? Assessing the Cultural Diversity Needs of School
Districts
Using surveys, interviews, and/or focus groups, this
assessment program helps districts and schools craft a
diversity plan which meets their unique requirements and
sensitivities.
Lowering the
Temperature: Conflict Resolution in the School and
Community
Classic conflict resolution and counseling techniques are
adjusted to work well in the schools with students, staff,
and community members. An emphasis on peer-mediation
solutions, particularly student-to-student, as well as
sensitivity training. Especially appropriate for dealing
with controversial issues such as racism, gender
inequalities, and gay-bashing.
Making Schools Safe
for all Students
All students should be able to come to school without fear
of being harassed for who they are. Ethnic minority
students often feel (and are made to feel) that they don't
really belong at school, while students who are dealing
with other issues such as gender equity, disabilities
and/or sexual orientation need the support and
under-standing of their teachers and school
administrators. This workshop assists participants in
understanding and responding to the challenge of creating
a harassment-free school environment.
For more
information about the services and cost for
WSSDA's Diversity Consultants, please call Marilee
Scarbrough, Director of Policy & Legal Services, (360)
252-3017 or e-mail
M.Scarbrough@wssda.org.
Be sure to ask about special rates for school
board workshops.
|
About
the Consultants |
|
|
Gregory
E. Guldin, Ph.D., of Cross-Cultural
consulting Services, is available to provide
assistance to school districts in addressing
diversity and equity issues. Dr. Guldin,
currently a professor of Cultural Anthropology and
chair of the Chinese Studies Program at Pacific
Lutheran University, has conducted workshops,
devised training programs and taught classes on
cross-cultural communication, multicultural
education, workplace diversity and organizational
change since 1977. |
|
Dr.
Guldin and Darrell Edmonds are available to provide
the highest
level of skilled and competent service. |
|
|
Darrell
W. Edmonds, Director of Quality Alternative
Dispute Resolution has extensive experience and
skills in mediation, facilitation, negotiation and
training. He has provided training for both
adults and students in the area of conflict
resolution in schools, in the workplace and in
communities. |
|
