Thomas J. Famularo

Multicultural education does not benefit students, argues Thomas

J. Famularo in the following viewpoint. Multiculturalism is harmful because it attempts to deny the existence of a common American culture and emphasizes divisive group differences based on race, gender, and social class, the author contends. Moreover, Famularo maintains, multicultural curricula are often shallow and superficial, offering broad overviews of diverse subject matter rather than in-depth investigations of significant material.The use of such curricula results in a decline in educational quality, he concludes. Famularo, a former English instructor for the City University of New York, is operations manager at Bowne Financial Printers in Secaucus, New Jersey. As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Peter W. Cookson, cited by Famularo, what is multiculturalism’s definition of community"

2. In Famularo’s opinion, what are the...