Ogbu, John U. “Understanding Cultural Diversity and Learning.” Educational Researcher 21.8 (1992). American Educational Research Association. Web. 30 Mar. 2010. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/1176697>.
Our group has decided to take a look at cultural issues in the formation of identity. This article, written by John Ogbu, talks about the relationships that exist between minority cultures and the American mainstream culture. Minorities with different cultural frame to the American mainstream culture have greater difficulty crossing cultural boundaries at school to learn.
One point in the article stood out to me regarding communities. Ogbu says that “What the children bring to school-their communities’ cultural models or understandings of “social realities” and the educational strategies that they, their families, and their communities use or do not use in seeking education are as important as within-school factors.” I believe this is an important part of schools in the United States that is overlooked sometimes. The design of our curriculum does not always address cultural and community differences, making it difficult for some students to identify with their school and perform well.