NCJ Number
117141
Journal
School Safety Issue: 2 Dated: (Winter 1989) Pages: 20-22
Date Published
1989
Length
3 pages
Annotation
The impact of school policies on multicultural education is examined, and a project of the U.S. Department of Justice's Community Relations Service (CRS) at a Stockton, Calif., high school is described.
Abstract
One of the school's roles in general should be to help immigrants learn about and adjust to life in the United States and to help native-born students learn about other countries and cultures. The CRS was established by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to respond to communities experiencing disputes, disagreements, or difficulties related to race, color, or national origin. The CRS offered to conduct a series of sessions at the Stockton high school to implement a joint problem-solving (JPS) strategy. JPS consists of identifying and prioritizing problem areas and then implementing solutions. At the California high school, the JPS project consisted of two-day sessions with Hispanic, Asian, black, and white students and a subsequent series of meetings with parents, teachers, administrators, and staff. Each session focused on identifying, prioritizing, and resolving problems. A final session resulted in an action plan with task, responsibility, and due dates specified. A key accomplishment of the JPS project was the establishment of productive working relationships between all parties involved. In addition to the achievement of multicultural interaction, students appreciated the opportunity to be listened to and treated as adults. Common priority areas were racial/ethnic tensions, discipline, student-teacher relations, counseling, student activities, the physical school plant, and parent involvement. Crisis response and preventive actions to minimize multicultural conflicts in schools are suggested.