Michigan State University Extension
Diversity and Pluralism - 11180339
12/95/
ERIC TITLE NUMBER: ED242223 AUTHOR: King, Edith W.; Houlton, David
TITLE: Implications of Britain's Mother Tongue Project for
American Multiethnic Education.
YEAR PUBLISHED: 1984
NOTE: 35 p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the
American Educational Research Association (New Orleans, LA,
April 24, 1984).
ABSTRACT: The multiethnic situation in American schools in
the 1980s can be compared to that of Britain in the 1960s,
when a sudden influx of non-English-speaking children in
great numbers taxed the resources of an educational system
dedicated to the English language. Arguments favoring
multicultural education are increasing in both countries,
and the need for a multilingual curriculum and parent
involvement are also recognized. In 1981 Britain's School
Council undertook a major program to offer assistance in
the form of resources and guidelines to teachers wishing to
extend the native language skills of their primary
students.
Teachers developed instructional materials promoting
intercultural communication, and materials for other
teachers, especially those not speaking the students'
native languages. American programs and publications have
focused on similar issues in minority language instruction.
However, developing a unified policy in conditions of wide
diversity is a complex undertaking, involving immigrant
parent attitudes, minority isolation, discrimination, and
economic disadvantagement. American school districts are
choosing a middle ground, allowing students to retain
literacy in their native languages while providing English
instruction. As the debate continues in both countries,
more research, curricular materials, and teacher education
are needed.
(MSE)
KEY DESCRIPTORS: Community-Support; Comparative-Analysis;
Curriculum-Development; Educational-Benefits; Ethnic
Relations; Foreign-Countries; Immigrants-; Language-of
Instruction; Parent-Attitudes; Primary-Education; Program
Development; Program-Effectiveness; Teacher-Developed
Materials; Teacher-Education; Teacher-Responsibility
KEY DESCRIPTORS: *Bilingual-Education; *Cultural-Pluralism;
*English-Second-Language; *Multicultural-Education; *Native
Language-Instruction; *Policy-Formation
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