**IFC - MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION** **Last Updated Date:** 04/29/2014 **Adoption Date:** 11/27/2007 Multicultural education is a process of school reform.   It permeates curriculum, instructional strategies and environments of school and community.  It is an effective and engaging tool to connect curriculum to standards.  Multicultural education explores and values diverse perspectives (race, gender, sex, sexual orientation, nationality, language, ability, religion, and class). It rejects discrimination and derogatory language. Multicultural education improves the quality of learning for all students and holds each student to high academic and social standards.  It teaches students to think critically about the complexity and richness of our society. The mission of the South Hadley Public Schools is to provide a high quality education that reflects the diversity of our pluralistic society, so students can be successful global citizens. It is our purpose to create a safe environment in which all are respected, accepted and fairly treated. Multicultural Education Goals 1. The school community shall be welcoming to all people. - We will promote respect for and understanding of different cultures and instill social and civic responsibility in our students. - We will confront incidents of discrimination, including racism, homophobia, bullying and other forms of exclusion. - We will communicate effectively with parents. - We will seek diversity in our faculty and staff. 2. The curriculum and instructional materials shall be global in nature and include diverse cultural perspectives. 3. Instruction shall promote respect for human differences, encourage students to discuss and analyze different cultural perspectives, and develop critical thinking skills. Ongoing professional development will increase knowledge of multicultural perspectives and help staff understand how their cultural identity influences their teaching.