Cherry A. McGee Banks

Reforming Schools in a Democratic Pluralistic Society

The authors argue that issues related to race, class, and gender diversity have been silenced in most school reform efforts. They maintain that to meet national and global needs for the next century, school reform must incorporate diversity issues, promote the democratic ideals stated in the nations founding documents, and help students acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed to construct civic, moral, and just communities that promote the common good. The authors make policy recommendations for transforming school reform to reflect diversity and for educating students in a multicultural society.

Intellectual Leadership and the Influence of Early African American Scholars on Multicultural Education

Key aspects of multicultural education and early African American scholarship are selectively examined to broaden, deepen, and refine our understanding of the link between the transformative nature of multicultural education and early African American scholarship. The exploration of the roots of multicultural education provides a basis for understanding contemporary issues in multicultural education within a historical context. Intellectual leadership is one of the most significant ways in which multicultural education and early African American scholarship are linked. Intellectual leadership is characterized by knowledge that is connected to action and societal reform. Early African American scholars exercised intellectual leadership by challenging the meta-narrative, by encouraging perspective taking, and by providing an intellectual foundation for questioning the status quo and building a just society. Scholars in multicultural education are continuing those activities as they exercise intellectual leadership in a contemporary context.Key aspects of multicultural education and early African American scholarship are selectively examined to broaden, deepen, and refine our understanding of the link between the transformative nature of multicultural education and early African American scholarship. The exploration of the roots of multicultural education provides a basis for understanding contemporary issues in multicultural education within a historical context. Intellectual leadership is one of the most significant ways in which multicultural education and early African American scholarship are linked. Intellectual leadership is characterized by knowledge that is connected to action and societal reform. Early African American scholars exercised intellectual leadership by challenging the meta-narrative, by encouraging perspective taking, and by providing an intellectual foundation for questioning the status quo and building a just society. Scholars in multicultural education are continuing those activities as they exercise intellectual lea...

Self-knowledge as a factor in becoming a multicultural educator

Abstract In this article, I define self-knowledge and describe how it can serve as a basis for creating contexts for multicultural engagement. The article describes a course where teachers critically reflect on media, biographies, their personal narratives, and professional application projects. Media, biographies, professional application projects, and personal narratives are powerful sources for deepening self-knowledge and for posing critical questions about difference and diversity. Key elements of the course are discussed and four course assignments are described. Comments from teachers are woven throughout the article to illustrate insights that can be gained through critical self-reflection. The article ends with lessons the author learned while teaching about self-knowledge.