Position Statements for Strategic Planning

The COE Diversity Committee supports the following NAME Resolutions and Positions Papers.

Resolution on the Digital Divide
National Association for Multicultural Education

WHEREAS the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) recognizes that the digital divide leads to inequity and the lack of social justice in education and society; and

WHEREAS NAME believes that the digital divide has a negative impact on individuals and groups that have been and continue to be discriminated against in education and society. These groups include people of color, speakers of first languages other than English, girls and women, people with disabilities, and people from low-income families; and

WHEREAS cyber-culture remains hostile to underrepresented and unprivileged individuals and groups such as people of color, speakers of first languages other than English, girls and women, people with disabilities, and people from low-income families; and

WHEREAS persons from underrepresented and unprivileged groups are not proportionately represented in educational and professional fields related to computers and the Internet; and

WHEREAS current approaches for closing the digital divide, mostly focused on adding computers and Internet access to classrooms, schools. Libraries, and other public places, fail to address disparities in access to educational, professional, and economic pursuits related to computer and Internet technologies; and

WHEREAS computers and the Internet are not used in progressive, pedagogically sound ways in many classrooms serving underrepresented students, such as to help students learn and to develop critical thinking skills; and

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that NAME calls for digital equity for all people and groups regardless of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, language, religion, or ability status. Digital equity would mean that

• All individuals and groups enjoy equitable access to information technology including computers and the Internet;
• All individuals and groups enjoy equitable access to educational pursuits in technology related fields including mathematics, science, computer science, and engineering;
All individuals and groups enjoy equitable access to career pursuits in technology related fields including mathematics, science, computer science, engineering, and information technology;.
• All individuals and groups play an equitable role in determining the sociocultural significance of computers and the Internet and the overall social and cultural value of these technologies; and
• Each of these conditions are constantly monitored, examined, and ensured through a diversity of experiences and perspectives.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NAME calls for educators, researchers, and policymakers to understand the digital divide within a social, cultural, and historical context as we move toward eliminating the inequities.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NAME endorses the continuing critique and study of technology related inequities in the larger educational and societal context toward eliminating the digital divide.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NAME endorses broadening the significance of access beyond that of physical access to computers and the Internet.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NAME support and encourage people of color, speakers of first languages other than English, females, people with disabilities, and people from low-income families to pursue and value technology related fields.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NAME promotes access for all to inclusive software and Internet content.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NAME denounces propaganda such as commercials portraying children from around the world announcing their recent arrival on-line, that lead people to believe that these technologies are available to everyone, everywhere, under any conditions.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NAME rejects as simplistic and patriarchal any program that purports to “close” the divide only by providing more computers and more, or faster, Internet access, to a school, library, or other public place.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NAME reject as inadequate any solution that aims to reduce and not eliminate the divide.
Adopted by the NAME Board of Directors on February 1, 2003.

Resolution on a Leadership Institute
National Association for Multicultural Education

WHEREAS the National Association for Multicultural Education was founded twelve years ago when a courageous group of teacher educators banded together and pledged their professional lives and careers to create an organization dedicated to promoting racial, social, and economic justice for all through education; and

WHEREAS the message of the founders to end oppression directed at any group or persons and create an inclusive society based on the inherent worth of all people was so attractive that the best and brightest educators in the land immediately lent their time, talent, and prestige to further the cause of NAME; and

WHEREAS over the last twelve years, educators of good will and purpose have joined NAME and worked tirelessly to further the cause of multicultural education toward creating a just society in which every child can learn and grow and develop to the fullest of his or her potential; and

WHEREAS NAME has conducted annual conferences in each of the last twelve years to address the important issues of multicultural education, raise public consciousness, and promote the multicultural agenda in all public, educational, and political forums; and

WHEREAS in 1996, a leadership institute was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in which many of the current leaders of the National Association were prepared in organizational development and leadership so that we might create state chapters to effectively promote the NAME agenda throughout the land; and

WHEREAS one of the strengths through diversity of the National Association for Multicultural Education is our self-renewal process promoted by the officers and board of directors to continue to attract new committed persons and organizations willing to give of their time and talent to promote multicultural education within the framework of democracy and equity;

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the National Association for Multicultural Education conduct a new leadership institute to reach out to the next generation of leaders in multicultural education; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the NAME Board of Directors organize this leadership institute to focus on new organizational structures including local chapters on college campuses, in P-12 schools, and other institutions where the work of multicultural education is most immediate; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the leadership institute prepares participants to network with other organizations to further the agenda for multicultural education, democracy, and equity.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the call go out to all the land, to every college campus, to every public school, to every concerned organization, to every person of good will to come together to work to build a just and inclusive society through multicultural education.

Adopted at the NAME Business Meeting on November 11, 2001
Reaffirmed by NAME Board of Directors on January 18, 2001

Resolution Re-affirming Social Justice and Equity Work
Following the September 11, 2001, Tragedies
National Association for Multicultural Education

WHEREAS the September 11th tragedies stunned us all and affected our lives forever; and

WHEREAS neighbors, friends, and strangers from around the world have come together to mourn the loss of lives from many countries; and

WHEREAS many from around the world have coalesced to provide support for the families, partners, and friends of the victims and the rescue workers who were so committed to finding life amid the rubble; and

WHEREAS one of the goals of the National Association for Multicultural Education is to achieve peace, security, respect, and safety for all people, not just citizens of the United States; and

WHEREAS today is a critical time for multicultural educators to provide leadership in schools and communities; and

WHEREAS racism and other oppressions against those who have been unjustly defined as the enemy must be repudiated; and

WHEREAS poverty continues to exist in the United States and the rest of the world. and

WHEREAS violence continues to be perpetrated against oppressed adults and children around the world, and

WHEREAS hatred continues to lead to devastating clashes between people around the world;

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that members of the National Association for Multicultural Education dedicate themselves to re-structuring education to reflect the authentic histories, cultures, and conditions of the global community;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that members of the National Association for Multicultural Education re-commit to foster in themselves and others a critical analysis of the underlying causes of terrorist actions and the reasons for anti-U.S. hostility in some parts of the world.

Adopted at the NAME Business Meeting on November 11, 2001
Reaffirmed by NAME Board of Directors on January 18, 2001

Resolution on Standardized and State Mandated Testing
National Association for Multicultural Education

WHEREAS the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) considers the current usage of standardized and state mandated testing to be a social policy issue of utmost importance; and

WHEREAS NAME believes we must begin to account for the personal, social, and economic cost of standardized and state mandated testing as people are tested, tracked, and sorted into narrowed and often non-existent, rather than broadened opportunities; and

WHEREAS NAME strongly believes that standardized and state mandated testing damages the quality of teaching and learning and poses unwarranted, unethical, and sometimes illegal barriers to equal opportunity for large numbers of Americans;

WHEREAS research on standardized testing demonstrates that standardized tests are grossly misused for purposes for which they were not intended; and

WHEREAS research has conclusively shown that standardized and state mandated tests have a differential and negative impact on persons of color and FEMALES the most and the scores of such tests tend to be highly correlated with socio-economic class; and

WHEREAS standardized and state mandated tests exert far too much control over curriculum and instruction, thwarting educational reforms that build upon sound cognitive research that attempts to address the range of skills and learning behaviors that are needed in today’s global community;

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that NAME calls for an end to the total dominance and misuse of standardized and state mandated testing as the sole means for apportioning educational and economic opportunities and sanctions;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NAME strongly endorses the increased use of performance-based assessments which judge students, prospective teachers, and teachers on the basis of what they can actually do;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NAME strongly endorses hiring and promotion systems for teachers based on genuine performance;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NAME strongly endorses admissions policies at institutions of higher education that do not reinforce and extend barriers to equal opportunities based on standardized and state mandated scores.

Adopted at the NAME Business Meeting on November 11, 2001
Reaffirmed by NAME Board of Directors on January 18, 2001

NAME Standards Committee: Draft Criteria for Evaluating State Curriculum Standards

The population of the United States of America has been multicultural since its inception. Moreover, the longstanding status of the U.S. as an economic world power draws persons from across the globe who contribute further to its multicultural character. This historical and contemporary diversity has considerable implications for the work of educators in the nation’s schools. Specifically, state curriculum standards designed to guide public education need to include the particular contributions, distinct heritages and values, as well as the multiple ways of knowing that represent our diverse population. Curricula should be designed to facilitate the development of individuals who appreciate the complexity of the human condition and who can effectively negotiate the diverse cultural contexts of U.S. society. Such individuals must acquire critical understanding and appreciation of their own cultural heritage as well as the cultural heritages of the diverse groups that are represented in our collective national identity. Similarly, through curricula and school-based experiences individuals should become critically engaged with the principles of social justice for all people. Ultimately, curriculum standards must do far more than simply stress the multicultural composition of the United States. Rather they must also outline classroom practices that help educators impart the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for individuals to participate fully and meaningfully in our multiethnic and multiracial society. To this end, the National Association for Multicultural Education has established curriculum guidelines that respond to five key concerns:

1. Inclusiveness: Inclusive curriculum guidelines will
   
   1. Represent the broad range of experiences and peoples that compose the population of the United States;
   2. Acknowledge the ways multicultural experiences have contributed to the knowledge base, value systems, and ways of thinking within disciplines;
   3. Provide an integrated understanding of human experience in its many varieties and complexities by attending to the exceptional as well as the ordinary;
   4. Promote understanding of the interdependence of groups and the reciprocal ways, both historic and contemporary, in which our collective experiences shape the lives of the diverse peoples in the United States.
      
2. Diverse perspectives: Curriculum guidelines emphasizing diverse perspectives will
   
   1. Represent the multiple constituencies and points of view in the United States;
   2. Encourage students to entertain competing constructions and understandings of social, historical, and natural phenomena;
   3. Recognize the ways these constructions are rooted in the cultural and historical experiences of the people who espouse them;
   4. Facilitate independent, contextual, and critical thinking among students about what they are being taught in schools.
      
3. Accommodating alternative epistemologies/social construction of knowledge: To provide students with the means to understand the ways knowledge is socially constructed, curriculum guidelines will
   
   1. Recognize that alternative cultural constructions entail distinct ways of thinking;
   2. Provide a basis for appreciating the differences in traditional ways of knowing, both the content of knowledge and the forms of evidence advanced to support it;
   3. Set out the paradigms and logic that structure knowledge within a community;
   4. Provide the analytic tools students need to evaluate both the causes and the effects of traditional and alternative belief systems.
      
4. Self-knowledge: In order to foster a sense in students of how their own identities have been constructed by the complex interplay of historical, social, political, economic, and even geographic factors, curriculum guidelines will
   
   1. Provide a structure that allows students to investigate their own cultural and ethnic identities and to examine the origins and consequences of their attitudes and behaviors toward other groups;
   2. Lead students to a critical understanding and appreciation of their own cultural and ethnic identities, including both their strengths and weaknesses;
   3. Recognize that identity is based on multiple factors, including the diverse and sometimes contradictory realities of membership in multiple groups;
   4. Foster in students an understanding that identity is dynamic and therefore, that change is possible.
      
5. Social justice: Curriculum guidelines fostering the goals of social justice will
   
   1. Emphasize the constitutional rights accorded all members of our society and the responsibilities entailed by citizenship in our multicultural society;
   2. Recognize and uphold the statutes set forth by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1948, in particular Article 26.2, that “Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace”;
   3. Prepare students to “think globally and act locally” by fostering a critical understanding of the ways local knowledge and actions are situated within and have an impact on global contexts;
   4. Provide students opportunities to evaluate the results of personal, organizational, corporate, and governmental decisions and to develop a critical understanding of how such decisions may benefit some groups while negatively impacting others;
   5. Promote social action, creating an engaged, active, and responsible citizenry committed to eradicating bigotry and to developing a fair, just, democratic society responsive to the needs of all our people regardless of race, class, gender, age, sexual orientation, physical appearance, ability or disability, national origin, ethnicity, religious belief or lack thereof.

The value in articulating curriculum standards at the state level is really two-fold: First, setting standards represents each state’s commitment to hold all students to equally high standards for performance while providing the instructional programs and support functions necessary for all students to meet these standards. All students deserve a quality education; curriculum standards define the core knowledge and skills we expect all students to master while providing an impetus for programs that facilitate the processes of learning and instruction. Second, the process of setting state standards itself represents a crucial step in our school systems’ attempts to acknowledge the multiple constituencies composing each state’s population and by extension, the United States’ multiethnic, multicultural nature. For the process to be meaningful, it must itself be open and inclusive, the standards representing a consensus of opinion reflecting and respecting the broad range of needs, interests, and bodies of expertise that students, parents, educators, representatives of numerous professional organizations, politicians, and our elders bring to the discussion. To be fully effective, such negotiations should acknowledge the international, national and local initiatives adopted by educational and professional organizations which represent the most fully developed understanding of educational purposes and pedagogical practices currently available. Examples of specific statements include, but are not limited to, the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights; “The Standards for English Language Arts” developed jointly by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association; “Principles and Standards for School Mathematics” developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics; “National Science Education Standards” developed by the National Research Council in consultation with the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Science Teachers Association; the National Council for Social Studies’ “Curriculum Guidelines for Multicultural Education”; Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools adopted by the Assembly of Alaska Native Educators; the American Speech and Hearing Association’s position paper “Social Dialects and Implications of the Position on Social Dialects.” In order to respond to the changing realities of life in our academic disciplines and in our schools, state standards need to be open to regular review and revision. Moreover, the standards movement will prove most valuable insofar as it fosters the on-going discussion of what we teach and how and why we teach these things to our students.

NAME members adopted the association's first resolutions at NAME's business meeting on November 11, 2001, in Las Vegas. The resolutions were reaffirmed by the NAME board of directors on January 19, 2002.

NAME members may submit new resolutions for consideration at the 2002 business meeting in Washington, DC. Resolutions should be submitted to the NAME office.

The resolution on standardized and state mandated testing calls for an end to the total dominance of standardized and state mandated testing as the primary means for apportioning educational and economic opportunities. It supports the use of
authentic performance assessments.

A resolution on teacher testing calls for the elimination of teacher admission and certification testing until such time as testing
instruments have been designed that can predict candidates who will be academically successful in teacher education programs
and who will be competent teachers in the school classroom.

The resolution on reaffirming our commitment to equity and justice calls for NAME members to continue to fight for justice and
equity for all, extending the concept beyond the borders of the United States. It asks that we dedicate ourselves to
re-structuring education to reflect the authentic histories, cultures, and conditions of the global community. It also calls for us to
foster a critical analysis of the underlying causes of terrorist actions and the reasons for anti-U.S. hostility in some parts of the
world.

The fourth resolution calls for NAME to conduct a leadership institute to reach out to the next generation of leaders in
multicultural education. It further asks that we come together to work to build a just and inclusive society through multicultural education.