Language and Cultural Diversity in U.S. Schools: Democratic Principles in Action

242 Pages·2005·9.83 MB·

by  Terry A. Osborn (ed.)

Language and Cultural Diversity in
U.S. Schools
Recent Titles in
Educate US
David Cerwin and Terry A. Osborn, Series Editors
Portrait of a Profession: Teaching and Teachers in the 2ist Century
David M. Moss, Wendy J. Glenn, and Richard L Schwab, editors
LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL
DIVERSITY IN U.S. SCHOOLS
Democratic Principles in Action
Edited by Terry A. Osborn
Educate US
David Gerwin and Terry A. Osborn, Series Editors

Westport, Connecticut
PRAEGER
London
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Language and cultural diversity in U.S. schools : democratic principles in action / edited
by Terry A. Osborn.
p. cm.—(Educate US, ISSN 1551-0425)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-275-98202-5 (alk. paper)
1. Multicultural education—United States. 2. Language arts—Social aspects—United
States. 3. Sociolinguistics—United States. I. Osborn, Terry A.
LC1099.3.L37 2005
37o.ii7'o973—dc22 2005013516
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.
Copyright © 2005 by Terry A. Osborn
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2005013516
ISBN: 0-275-98202-5
ISSN: 1551-0425
First published in 2005
Praeger Publishers, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
www.praeger.com
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National

Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 21
For Joshua and Juliana
In gratitude for their laughter.
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Contents
Series Foreword ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction: Participating in Democracy Means Participating in
Schools 1
Terry A. Osborn and Din a C. Osborn
1 Emergent Possibilities for Diversity in Reading and the
Language Arts 5
Cara Mulcahy
2 Bilingual Education: Good for U.S.? 25
Mileidis Gort
3 Accents and Dialects: Ebonics and Beyond 39
Timothy Reagan
4 A Case Study in Cultural and Linguistic Difference: The
DEAF-WORLD 53
Timothy Reagan
5 Foreign Language Education: It's Not just for Conjugation
Anymore 65
Terry A. Osborn
viii Contents
6 Multicultural Education Is Good for the United States Beyond
Sensitivity Training 77
Wanda DeLeon and Xae Alicia Reyes
7 Policies for a Pluralistic Society 95
Casey Cobb and Sharon F. Rallis
8 What September n Also Teaches Us 105
David Gerwin and Terry A. Osborn
Appendix 117
Index 223
About the Contributors 227
Series Foreword
It is a rare week in which an issue in education fails to make headlines in
the United States. Parents, policy makers, educators, and taxpayer s have a
stake in the developments regarding schools and schooling. Though the pub
lic is increasingly sophisticated in its understanding of the intricacies of ed
ucation, however, popular media venues offer little opportunity for an
in-depth treatment of the relevant points related to the vital decisions that are
made in boardrooms, classrooms, homes, and voting booths. Educate US is
a series presenting a comprehensive discussion of issues in a forum that min
imizes technical jargon as it explores the various facets of the problems and
potential in U.S. education. The authors and contributors to this series are
those whose concerns about the health and welfare of education in the United
States are translated into activism. Scholarship is not merely about the gain
ing of expertise; it includes an inherent component of advocacy. The nature
of education in a democracy requires one to take a well-advised position and
then to let one's voice be heard. This activity is at least as important as—in
many ways so much more vital than—the technical aspects of the scholar's
craft.

Language and culture are at the heart of the educational process in a de
mocracy. Equity and justice in education necessitate a full understanding of
the nature of language, cultural mediation, and schooling. The authors in this
text, therefore, introduce the reader to some of the pressing issues of today.