ABSTRACT
By the 1980s, the demand for wider representation of diverse cultural perspectives in school curricula was evident, and the argument was being made that students should be encouraged to view U.S. society through various cultural lenses (Nelson, Carlson, & Palonsky, 1996). Traditionally, it has been argued, the objective of public education in the United States has been to educate students for democratic participation, to encourage individual achievement through academic competition, and to promote and teach the values and traditions of U.S. cultural heritage.
