Introduction

This introduction discusses the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book presents a contemporary account of some of the key issues involved in multicultural education together with recent evidence concerning the educational attainments of pupils drawn from certain minority ethnic groups. Pluralism involves different cultural and ethnic groups in the same society not merely existing side by side, but understanding sympathetically each other's folklore, lifestyles, literature, customs and aspirations. In any industrialized society, one of the major avenues to career opportunities is through achieving relative success in the educational system. The ultimate objective of education in a democratic society must be to facilitate the social, academic and identity development of young people in the increasingly complex society and the world in which they live and function. The book is concerned with a range of important and controversial issues, and contains empirical evidence about the educational attainments of various groups of British Asian and Afro-Caribbean pupils.