Multicultural Education and Heritage Language Education policies

Policy For Multicultural Education

Saskatchewan society is made up of indigenous peoples, descendants of the original settlers and recent immigrants from the four corners of the world. Together, they represent many cultures.

Some have chosen to maintain and develop elements of their culture and traditions within the Saskatchewan setting.

Saskatchewan Education, Training and Employment recognizes cultural and linguistic diversity as characteristic of our society and as a positive contributor to the social, political and economic life of the province. It acknowledges a responsibility, shared with others, to develop and implement programs and policies that reflect the needs of this increasingly pluralistic population. These needs include:

self-fulfilment, self-esteem and self-actualization, security of identity, positive self-concept;
fair and equitable treatment in all aspects of living; and,
intercultural, intergroup sharing and communication to achieve understanding, appreciation and mutual respect.

The following Saskatchewan Education, Training and Employment multicultural education policy statements are consistent with:

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms;
The Multiculturalism Act of Canada;
The Goals of Education for Saskatchewan;
Saskatchewan Education's Core Curriculum initiatives.

Saskatchewan Education, Training and Employment's Multicultural Education Policy Statements

Regardless of gender, race, ethnic origin, religion, economic or social status, it is the right of every individual to expect:
equal access to education and equal opportunity for success in education in an atmosphere free of discrimination, racism, prejudice and intolerance; and,
departmental programs, services and practices that recognize and are sensitive to differences (cultural, spiritual and physical), while facilitating full participation in the cultural life of the larger society.

Neither assimilation nor segregation is considered to be a viable objective for education.

The nature of multicultural education suggests an interdisciplinary approach to curriculum development and program delivery.

Multicultural literacy * becomes an essential learning for all partners in education. The department will work to provide the necessary services and support.

Curriculum content, devoid of stereotyping, romanticizing and emphasis on the exotic, can support the development of intercultural respect and understanding. It must recognize and respect cultural similarities and differences; involve both cognitive and affective knowledge and skills; and deal with
minority and majority group values, attitudes and assumptions. Curricula developed by Saskatchewan Education, Training and Employment will feature content that is carefully researched with a variety of perspectives noted.

Participation of non-governmental organizations in the development of policies, programs and materials supporting multicultural education is one illustration of how government and community can work together to realize Saskatchewan's Goals of Education. It is a process that will be pursued.

The inseparable nature of language and culture suggests that language programming has a place in multicultural education, particularly in those aspects dealing with cultural maintenance and in intercultural understanding. Providing access to a variety of languages is a departmental objective.

Policy Implementation

A basic understanding emerging from Saskatchewan's Goals of Education is that education is a shared responsibility. Implementing multicultural education policy will require collaboration on the part of all stake-holders in education.

Saskatchewan Education, Training and Employment

The department will provide leadership in translating these policies into action and it undertakes:

to circulate the proposed multicultural education policy for public input;
to establish a Multicultural Education Unit, responsible for implementing multicultural education policy and incorporating existing personnel, programs and services in heritage languages and English as a Second Language;
to review existing organizational structures and procedures within Saskatchewan Education, Training and Employment to determine if barriers exist to policy implementation, and develop any necessary recommendations;
to develop a plan to ensure that all departmental personnel are aware of and sensitive to the principles incorporated in the multicultural education policy;
to participate in any interdepartmental initiatives designed to coordinate government services in multiculturalism.

This includes identifying and supporting educational needs of immigrants to Saskatchewan;

to review The Education Act and Regulations to ensure compatibility with multicultural education policy, and make any necessary recommendations for revision;

* Multicultural literacy is the ability to recognize that Canadian society is characterized by cultural pluralism and that cultural retention is an individual and group right. The goal is to develop cognitive and affective knowledge and skills that will enable positive self-concept development, will facilitate intercultural understanding and appreciation and will lead towards the elimination of racism, prejudice and intolerance in order to create a politically, socially and economically just society.

to examine testing, assessment and placement procedures for compliance with the spirit of the multicultural education policy;
to prepare inservice programs and activities designed to sensitize audiences to multicultural issues;
to propose strategies for implementing the multicultural education policy. Potential audiences include departmental staff and the partners in education;
to ensure that curricula, programs and materials in all subject areas reflect the principles inherent in multicultural education. This will involve development of evaluation criteria and a curriculum audit process, collaboration between curriculum committees, and consultation with representatives of non-governmental organizations;
to promote the multicultural education policy among the partners in education and in the broader community through proactive practices such as disseminating information and facilitating dialogue on policy initiatives;
to support policies, programs and practices that enhance the languages of the Aboriginal peoples and the official minority language;
to develop a comprehensive policy on heritage languages;
to examine existing practices and programs for English as a Second Language and, in collaboration with other agencies, develop a policy on ESL programming; and,
to establish a procedure to assess progress in implementing the multicultural education policy.

Partners in Education

Saskatchewan Education, Training and Employment considers the partners in education to be all individuals, agencies, institutions and organizations who share a responsibility for, and/or interest in, education. These include:

students and their families;
teachers and teacher organizations;
boards of education;
educational administrators;
post-secondary institutions - universities,colleges and institutes;
community agencies and organizations - municipal governments, police, media, service clubs, religious and church groups; and,
ethnocultural/multicultural agencies and organizations.

Assistance and support from all of these partners are essential to the successful implementation of this multicultural education policy. Towards this end, Saskatchewan Education, Training and Employment encourages organizations and institutions:

to review their existing multicultural/intercultural/race relations policies for compatibility with the proposed Saskatchewan Education, Training and Employment policy or, where applicable, to develop a multicultural education policy;
to develop an implementation plan for their multicultural education policy. Collaboration with the other partners in education and with Saskatchewan Education, Training and Employment during this development is encouraged;
to review their current organizational structure, procedures, employment and promotion practices for consistency with the intent of the multicultural education policy;
to develop introductory and on-going inservice programs for all staff, designed to:
increase awareness and sensitivity to multicultural issues;
facilitate growth in the acquisition of skills and strategies for implementing multicultural policy initiatives;
to encourage all staff to participate in these programs;
to establish a process to assess progress in implementing the multicultural education policy;
to promote the multicultural education policy among their audiences; and,
to recognize the special relationship between language and culture and to promote the teaching of languages (Aboriginal, official minority, heritage, ESL) as an integral component of multicultural education.

The department will continue to assist through appropriate policies and practices.

Post-secondary and teacher education institutions are key agents in education. Traditionally, these places of higher learning provided opportunities for the acquisition of skills specific to particular professions, as well as a general grounding in humanistic/liberal arts education and spiritual development. More recently, perhaps as a result of economic and societal pressures, these institutions have begun responding to community needs. Professional schools, colleges and university faculties are acknowledging the need to prepare graduates for living and working in a pluralistic society.¹⁰

Saskatchewan Education, Training and Employment encourages post-secondary education institutions:

to recognize the interdisciplinary nature of multicultural education and to incorporate the principles inherent in the multicultural education policy into all courses of study;
to develop and to offer multicultural literacy courses, especially in teacher education programs. Such courses should strive to develop both cognitive (knowledge and skills) and affective (attitudes and values) multicultural competencies in students;
to recognize the economic, social and personal values of second language education and their special place in multicultural education by introducing a second language requirement for either entrance or graduation;
to acknowledge the pluralistic nature of Saskatchewan society by offering courses dealing with the cultures, histories, literatures and fine arts of the province's ethnocultural communities. This initiative could be supported through the establishment of a Chair of Multicultural Studies; and,
to promote broad intergroup and intercultural relationships through the establishment of exchange programs and activities with national and international post-secondary institutions.

Social and technological change impacts on the nature of the school community, bringing with it new challenges. Responding to an increasingly culturally diverse classroom is one such challenge. Teachers, including classroom teachers, principals, in-school administrators and all educators who have direct contact with students, are central to the educational process. Like all professionals, they strive to keep abreast of changes which affect their professional activities.¹¹

Saskatchewan Education, Training and Employment seeks the support of all partners in education in encouraging teachers:

to participate in local and/or provincial in-service programs, seminars, and short courses that deal with multicultural education awareness, sensitivity, instructional skills and teaching strategies;
to become familiar with the content and intent of the multicultural education policy; and,
to enrol in university and college courses dealing with multicultural education issues such as:
- cross-cultural and intercultural instructional strategies and techniques;
- evaluation and analysis of curriculum and instructional materials for bias, prejudice, racism and discrimination;
- interdisciplinary approaches to multicultural education.

The first and most lasting influence on a child is that of the home environment. It is here that children begin developing their values, their self-concepts and their attitudes towards others. Families play a significant role in this developmental process.

Educators and educational institutions alone cannot and should not assume total responsibility for preparing children to function in our culturally diverse society. Promoting mutual understanding and respect for the rights of others, rejecting intolerance and modelling open-mindedness are responsibilities that families share with the educational system. Communication and co-operation between the home and the school are critical in this process. Saskatchewan's Goals of Education statement is very clear on this issue.

Families are encouraged to become involved in all aspects of their children's education through formal and informal contact with the teachers, administrators and school board officials. Some opportunities for involvement include:

initiating correspondence (notes), telephone calls and informal meetings;
offering to help in school as parent volunteers and guest speakers;
attending regularly scheduled student/parent/teacher conferences (interviews);
participating in Home and School Associations and Community Advisory Committees; and,
attending public meetings of the school board.

To assist in implementing the intent of the multicultural education policy, Saskatchewan Education, Training and Employment encourages families:

to participate in school-centred or community-based lectures, workshops and seminars designed to enhance awareness, increase sensitivity, provide factual knowledge and offer skills and strategies;
to explore, at home and at school, issues such as the negative impact of stereotyping and discrimination and the concept that being "different" is not necessarily better or worse, but another way of doing things; and,
to consider the relationship of personal attitudes and assumptions to the goals and principles of the multicultural education policy.

Today more than ever before our world is characterized by an interconnectedness of people and resources. The increasingly rapid changes evident in today's world affect this interdependence and issue a challenge to society to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes essential for humanity to develop into the 21st century. While this task has been largely passed on by society to the educational system, the ultimate responsibility for education rests with all members of society.

The implementation of any policy will succeed only to the extent that it receives support from all members of the community. Thus, Saskatchewan Education, Training and Employment seeks the support of the educational partners in implementing this policy for multicultural education.

References

From: Multicultural education in Saskatchewan: A vision for the future. (1989). Regina: Saskatchewan Association for Multicultural Education.

Adapted from: Multicultural education policy discussion paper. (1986). Winnipeg: Manitoba Education.

Principles originally developed by Canadian Council for Multicultural and Intercultural Education and reprinted in: McLeod, K.A. (Ed.). (1987). Multicultural education: A partnership. Toronto: OISE Press.

Adapted from: The state of minority-language education in the provinces and territories of Canada. (1983). Ottawa: Council of Ministers of Education.

Directions: The final report. (1984). Regina: Curriculum and Instruction Review, Saskatchewan Education. p. 26.

Last sentence of the section on goals and responsibilities from: Wieler, E.E. (1987). Multicultural education: Theory, policy, practice and issues: A literature review. SIDRU Research Report No. 3. Regina: Saskatchewan Instructional Research and Development Unit, University of Regina.

Definition of multicultural education adapted from: Multicultural education in Saskatchewan: A vision for the future. (1989). Regina: Saskatchewan Association for Multicultural Education.

Goals/principles of multicultural education adapted from: Multicultural education in Saskatchewan: A vision for the future. (1989). Regina: Saskatchewan Association for Multicultural Education.
Multicultural education policy discussion paper. (1986). Winnipeg: Manitoba Education.
Wieler, E.E. (1987). Multicultural education: Theory, policy, practice and issues: A
literature review. SIDRU Research Report No. 3. Regina: Saskatchewan Instructional Research and Development Unit, University of Regina.
Goals of education from: Directions: The final report. (1984). Regina: Curriculum and
Instruction Review, Saskatchewan Education.

Last sentence of the section on goals/principles adapted from: Multicultural
education in Canada: Future needs and possibilities: Draft discussion paper. (1987). Ottawa: Canadian Council of Ministers of Education.

10.

Paragraph on role of post-secondary institutions adapted from: Multicultural education inCanada: Future needs and possibilities: Draft discussion paper. (1987). Ottawa: Canadian Council of Ministers of Education.

11.

Paragraph on role of teachers adapted from: McLeod, K.A. (1987). Multicultural education: Apartnership. Toronto: OISE Press.