Part I: James A. Banks, Part II: Gena Dagel Caponi

The authors of the following two-part viewpoint argue that multicultural education—an education that reflects the experiences of a nation across its racial, gender, and socioeconomic boundaries—benefits all students. In Part I, James A. Banks contends that multicultural education gives students from various backgrounds the skills necessary to work in and contribute to a culturally diverse society. Schools must incorporate culturally informed teaching strategies to make high-quality education available to all students, he maintains. In Part II, Gena Dagel Caponi argues that multicultural courses broaden student perspectives and increase students’ respect for cultures other than their own. Banks is professor and director of the Center for Multicultural Education at the University of Washington in Seattle. Caponi is associate professor of American Studies at the University...