Democracy, Multiculturalism, and the Community College

Book excerpt: Based on five organizational case studies, this book argues that community colleges face an identity crisis and must find ways of balancing the three traditional roles typically assumed by them: transfer, vocational, and community education. To emphasize one at the expense of another is to fail to meet the diverse needs of students who look to the community college as a source of opportunity and social mobility. In addition, community colleges must create an organizational context in which opportunities exist for culturally diverse students to participate as full members in the educational process. The study uses democratic educational strategies first suggested by John Dewey as a foundation for developing a critical multicultural view of community college education. The authors argue that critical multiculturalism moves beyond liberal views of cultural diversity and challenge academic institutions to take advantage of the varied experiences and perspectives that students from other cultures bring to education. The book includes a reference section following the final chapter and a name and subject index.