ment will be regarded by many people as a cover for the reintroduction of ethnocentric bias. Ethnocentrism is a tendency to judge other people or groups by the standards and practices of one's own culture or ethnic group, and, as a consequence, to view people from outside one's own culture with disfavor, and to regard one's own culture, race, or ethnic group as inherently superior to all others. Historically, in the United States, ethnocentrism on the part of the population majority has been manifested in racial and ethnic discrimination throughout society, including schools.
It is possible, however, to respond positively to cultural diversity, without necessarily reintroducing an ethnocentric bias into a school environment. Such action, however, does require sensitivity to cultural diversity on the part of educational personnel serving in schools for multicultural communities (Grant, 1992). In overcoming ethnocencratic problems in order to effectively serve students in multicultural communities, educational personnel must rid themselves of racial and ethnic myths. Educational personnel must develop a cult
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