Student Diversity Events
[PAST EVENT] Revisiting the Promise of Multiculturalism in Education
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In the second talk of the School of Education's 2017-2018 Diversity Lecture Series, Cirecie West-Olatunji will present "Revisiting the Promise of Multiculturalism in Education."
Despite efforts to resolve disparities in the educational experiences and outcomes for certain sectors of the American population, persistent underachievement for African American and Latino students, in particular, remains a challenge. It has been stated that these issues translate into decreased civic engagement and, ultimately, lack of sufficient innovation in industry to compete on a global scale. Ideas, such as education reform, charter schools, Response-to-Intervention, and vocational academies have been proposed. Yet, educational scholars may need to revisit the core assumptions of multiculturalism in all disciplines, including but not limited to special education, school counseling, curriculum and instruction, and research methods. Dr. West-Olatunji will discuss five culturally informed approaches that can transform the outcomes for culturally and socially (based on sexual orientation, class, religion, ability, etc.) marginalized individuals throughout the educational pipelines, including doctoral studies. This lecture is intended to inspire, instruct, and (re)ignite the college community toward action.
Cirecie A. West-Olatunji serves as associate professor at Xavier University of Louisiana and director of the Center for Traumatic Stress Research. She is also a past president of the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Association (AMCD). Nationally, Dr. West-Olatunji has initiated several clinical research projects that focus on culture-centered community collaborations designed to address issues rooted in systemic oppression, such as transgenerational trauma and traumatic stress.