Search

In the United States, voices of those outside the white middle class are often drowned out by the expectations, conventions, and unspoken beliefs of the power culture (Fairclough, 1989; Ladson-Billings, 1995; Nieto, 2002; Delpit, 1996). This paper discusses a small urban school district's efforts to be responsive to its diverse populations. Techniques for maximizing language minority students' and their communities' input into the public education provided for them are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reflects on the nationhood of the U.S., the true definition of what it means to be American and its link to multiculturalism. It argues against the notion that U.S. is more than a nation and that it is an idea. The author's thesis is that the U.S. is more than an idea, it is a nation. This distinction has profound implications for questions as racial and ethnic quotas, bilingual education, immigration and multiculturalism. Multiculturalism is a theory of U.S. nationality. It sees the U.S. as more than a nation, an idea. It accepts the tenet of the liberal theory of U.S. nationality. It regards assimilation as a form of oppression.