This digest discusses various negative and positive Asian American stereotypes and explores how school practices and individual educators, consciously or unconsciously, may reinforce them. This has important negative social, political, and economic ramifications for Asian Americans. While Asian Americans are often characterized as the "model…

Multiracial individuals represent an expanding population of Americas diverse society. Results from Census 2000 showed that of the total 281.4 million people in the United States, 6.8 million of the population indicated their background consisted of more than just one race. Nearly 3 million of respondents within the two or more races population…

This fact sheet examines the impact of cultural diversity in the United States on the counseling profession. Three major difficulties for multicultural counseling created by this diversity are considered: (1) the counselor's own culture, attitudes, and theoretical perspective; (2) the client's culture; and (3) the multiplicity of variables…

Literature is a powerful vehicle for the transmission and interpretation of culture. Reading a variety of literature helps students to understand the principles underpinning values and traditions of their own culture and the cultures of others. Studying the myths, legends, and songs of traditional Native literature helps readers understand…

This ERIC digest gives elementary school teachers realistic information about American Indians and Alaska Natives and identifies some of the common myths based on ethnic bias. Bias against Indians is often the result of inaccurate information. Stylized classroom accounts of Indian life reinforce "buckskin-and- feather" or "Eskimo…

This paper discusses teaching with a multicultural perspective in early childhood education. It is emphasized that a major goal of multicultural education is to help children become accustomed to the idea that there are many lifestyles, languages, cultures, and points of view. Other topics include negative stereotypes and the influence that early…

Teaching from an antibias perspective means going beyond conventional multicultural education and introducing students to a working concept of diversity that challenges social stereotypes and discrimination. This digest describes current inadequacies in teaching about Native Americans, suggests ways to avoid common pitfalls, and provides…

This digest provides information to help teachers gain a better understanding of Asian-American children, particularly those from East and Southeast Asian cultures, and identify culturally appropriate educational practices to use with these children. Asian-Americans represent more than 29 distinct subgroups who differ in language, religion, and…