Reclaiming the Multicultural Roots of U.S. Curriculum: Communities of Color and Official Knowledge in Education

by Wayne Au, Anthony L. Brown, Dolores Calderon

Within curriculum studies, a “master narrative” has developed into a canon that is predominantly White, male, and associated with institutions of higher education. This canon has systematically neglected communities of color, all of which were engaged in their own critical conversations about the type of education that would best benefit their children. Building upon earlier work that reviewed curriculum texts, this book serves as a much-needed correction to the glaring gaps in U.S. curriculum history. Chapters focus on the curriculum discourses of African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinos during what has been construed as the “founding” period of curriculum studies, reclaiming their historical legacy and recovering the multicultural history of educational foundations in the United States. Book

Genres: Read For School, Nonfiction, Education, Teaching, Grad School

192 pages, Paperback

Published July 22, 2016

About the author

Wayne Au is a professor in the School of Educational Studies at the University of Washington Bothell, and he is a longtime editor and contributor for the social justice magazine Rethinking Schools.

Reviews

[Monse Hernández · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seminal work for any teacher and student teacher.

[Salamah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a must read!!!! There is too much to type in a short review but essentially this book tells the stunning truth of United States curriculum in education as it pertains to communities of color. There was so much I did not know and as an educator for 14 years I am just learning about the way curriculum was framed in the past and continues to be framed now. The authors have done a wonderful job of filling in the gaps and showing how for decades individuals have been fighting to educate their child fully.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for a grad class on cultural diversity in education.
I thought this might be an uncomfortable read for my white middle class self, or maybe super boring. But it was neither. While there are plenty of references to white colonialism, racism, etc., they are part of the larger discussion about how minority experiences in public education are not really acknowledged as part of the whole picture of curriculum development. It is well researched, written in a fairly engaging way, and shared some interesting information that I was unaware of before.

[Erin McDonnell-Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book focused on four primary groups: (1) Native American, (2) Asian (Chinese & Japanese American), (3) Mexican American, and (4) African American.

This would be a good introductory text for a late undergraduate or early graduate student, perhaps someone who isn’t familiar with the overt racism and history of these groups.

One suggestion in using this texts would be to pair it with a text (or texts) that advocate for advancements and don’t focus specifically on the past.

[Janeen Pizzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to read this for my doc program, but I think I would have read this on my own. The history of US curriculum outlined in this text is beyond disheartening and also provides so many light-bulb moments. I recommend this text to anyone who wants to know more about how "Whiteness" and how BIPOC people have been forced to engage in US curriculum, but who are largely absent from it.

[Noa · Rating 4 out of 5]

They approach curriculum history in America from the communities often erased in majority culture histories and public education.
I really loved this idea and I could see it being a really generative pursuit to do in other groups, like my own Tongan-American diaspora group.

[Davey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this text for my CPED program. It was enlightening and helps paint a thorough picture of institutionalized racism that makes up US education. I believe anyone going into education should give this a read.

[Annika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an important read.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every teacher must read this book.

[Tannie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for a class. It was a quick and easy read, and had some eye opening thoughts.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

As fascinating and readable as the history is harrowing. This book tells this little talked about history of curriculum development in the US and the white supremacist origins of much of American thought about education. Unlike most books about race in America, this one covers all grounds and includes chapters devoted not just to African American curricula but also Curricula of Native Americans, Chinese and Japanese Americans, and Mexican Americans. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in curriculum theory, the history of education, or American race relations in general.