Belén Ballesteros

Cultural Diversity and School Equity. A Model to Evaluate and Develop Educational Practices in Multicultural Education Contexts

Social change and migratory movements over the last decades have deeply and extensively modified social structure and school populations all over Europe, and more recently, in Spain. Only recently has Spanish society faced this phenomenon of immigration. Formerly a country of emigrants, Spain is now a receptor of immigration from other countries. However, cultural diversity is not new, it has always existed as a result of gender, social class, rural/urban settings, ethnic minorities—for example, gypsies1 (Roma)—and very clear regional and linguistic differences. In spite of this diversity, only recent immigration from other countries has elicited reflection, legislation, and educational concerns on these issues, raising two important elements in education: culture as a variable and heterogeneity as a norm. Cultural diversity in society is reflected in our schools but it is seldom taken into account as an influential variable in the personal and social development of our students. School culture transmits specific socio-cultural values (those of the dominant group), excluding other cultural features that are not in accordance with it. Certain educational practices maintain, stress, and legitimize social inequalities for some students by not recognizing and valuing their cultural differences. Hence, many students are denied the possibility of achieving the same educational results as their peers from the major-