Extending the Possibilities of Multicultural Community Partnerships in Urban Public Schools

Abstract

To combat the sociocultural tensions that the city of Changeton is facing, an effort is being made by the school district to create a systemwide multicultural education program. A volunteer group has been established to shape what it hopes will provide a foundation for working toward mitigating the cultural strife that plagues the schools and community. Through a 3-year qualitative study, this research has documented the developments in the committee's work. The specific area addressed here is the group's efforts to create a partnership between the school and the community. This article provides practical ideas to urban educators interested in such an endeavor and shows that the critical problem is that parental involvement is often not recognized as being determined within specific and unequal relations of power—that attempts at school/community partnerships are often based on white, middle-class assumptions about parents' outlooks, language, resources, and time available for schoolwork. The focus and intent here are to acknowledge that it is crucial to recognize the multiplicity of groups and issues that are present in every town and city. Without being open to all differences of opinion andperspective, the idea of community involvement and public deliberation is fruitless.