The National Network of the National Association for Multicultural Education

• In Event: A Discourse of Democracy: The Role of Researchers, Faculty, and Community Organizations in Education Reform

Abstract

National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) is a non-profit organization that advances and advocates for equity and social justice through multicultural education. We are teacher educators, teachers, students, parents, community activists, and others with a strong interest in creating socially just and equitable learning communities in schools and classrooms. (Grant & Sleeter, 2007; Gorski et. al. 2013)
Our objectives are:
• To provide opportunities for learning in order to advance multicultural education, equity and social justice.
• To proactively reframe public debate and impact current and emerging policies in ways that advance social, political, economic and educational equity through advocacy, position papers, policy statements and other strategies.
• To provide the preeminent digital clearinghouse of resources about educational equity and social justice.
The Founders of NAME envisioned an organization that would bring together individuals and groups with an interest in multicultural education from all levels of education. NAME continues to host national and international conferences and to provide leadership in national and state dialogues on equity, diversity and multicultural education.
NAME’s membership encompasses the spectrum of professional educators and specialists, including early childhood, classroom and higher education faculty, administrators, psychologists, social workers, counselors, curriculum specialists, librarians, scholars, and researchers. Persons affiliated with teacher education, ethnic studies, ESL and bilingual education, social science, anthropology, liberal and fine arts programs, and other departments, colleges, and schools with an emphasis on multiculturalism are also encouraged to become members.
Multicultural social justice-oriented educators and community activists foster diversity in education — in curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, and stewardship of schools and communities. NAME advances advocacy through coalition building, engaging in education campaigns around key issues of equity in education and shaping state policy, establishing a public voice through engaged scholarship and advocacy that challenges unjust educational policy and practices.
This presentation will examine how a national professional association of scholars and educators can facilitate research in the interest of communities at all stages, from conceptualization to publication and dissemination. Though not as locally focused as some of the other presenting groups, NAME is an important clearinghouse of resources and point of connection for this group of colleagues.

Author

• Richard Ayers, University of San Francisco