Examines questions arising from concern for Africentric and multicultural education, including the nature of diversity and the relationships among cultural hegemony, cultural diversity, and cultural pluralism. Changing conceptions of intelligence, knowledge, and education are considered in relation to the treatment of cultural and ethnic…

The cult of ethnicity in general and the Afrocentric campaign in particular do not bode well for U.S. education or for the future of the country. The debate over ethnocentric curricula is traced. Commentaries by R. Walters and D. D'Souza elaborate on issues of multicultural education. (SLD)

Introduces a special section containing three articles and six commentaries, which discuss the form that multicultural education should take and consider whether children are well-served by a unified curriculum for all or ethnocentric curricula for various ethnic groups. Provides several examples of a multicultural approach. (SLD)

Contends that a major focus of contemporary U.S. education is the nature and character of interethnic relationships. Discusses five models of ethnic relations: (1) traditional Eurocentric Racism; (2) Melting Pot Assimilationism; (3) Ethnic Nationalism; (4) Globalism; and (5) Centered Pluralism. (CFR)

Reviews the debate concerning the impact of Afrocentric education and multicultural education on U.S. history instruction and course content. Responds to criticisms of Afrocentric education by historians Diane Ravitch and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. Contends that multicultural education can help recognize divisions in U.S. society and show a…

The multiculturalism sought by Ronald Takaki is not ethnic separatism, but a serious scholarship that includes all United States peoples and challenges traditional master narratives of U.S. history. Class is a "hidden reality" of U.S. history. Multiculturalism affirms what this country stands for: opportunity, equality, and realization…

It is hypocritical to oppose black immersion schools (BISs) as resegregationist. BISs are a solution to urban school problems proposed in areas where integration has failed. BISs are a reaction to that failure, not a cause of it. To succeed, BISs must address issues of social and economic justice. (SLD)