James Tenbusch Emphasizes the Importance of Teaching Multiculturalism in Schools

James Tenbusch has several decades of experience in school administration and he is a nationally recognized educational professional. He believes that the school board in America should work to promote multiculturalism in schools by adopting a set of policies and a curriculum that provides all students with a learning experience that enables them to be responsible and contributing members of a multiethnic, multicultural society. James Tenbusch believes that boards and school administrators should strive to ensure that the student community, families and staff are treated equitably and share the job of creating a caring environment.

James Tenbusch has worked extensively for more than 22 years in responding to-and-promoting-multiculturalism in a variety of educational settings. He has developed a set of school administration and governance principles that may be instructive to others in the field of public education. Some of the principles offerred by James Tenbusch include:

• The members of a school learning community must be kept safe, respected, and valued. By actively promoting this type of learning environment, a school district will foster intellectual, social, and emotion growth for all. Administrators must recognize that the pursuit of diversity is not enough-a school system should also aspire to celebrate the varied appearances, abilities, perspectives, and values that characterize a learning community.


• Teachers should be encouraged along with building administrators to truly get to know their students and treat them as individuals. It is also imperative that all staff learn to correctly pronounce student and parent names.


• The climate in each classroom and school building should be actively monitored so that there is preservation and promotion of diversity in cultural orientations and opinions. The teachers and administrators should be attentive to current vernacular and customs regarding communication, decision making and problem solving associated with ethnic and cultural groupings. This includes being aware of cultural differences in relation to classroom participation and nonverbal behavior. An analysis of these factors helps a school district understand the learning needs of both individual students and cohorts of students in both cultural and ethnic terms.


• The students should be introduced to curriculum elements that allow them to actively learn about cultures and groups other than their own. Teachers should take care that the texts and reading materials are gender, ethnic, and culturally neutral in terms of language usage.

James Tenbusch has been a school district superintendent for 15 years, and he holds a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from Northwestern University. With over 30 years of experience in both general and special education, he has distinguished himself in the areas of technology in education and the service of at-risk / special needs students. He is a strong advocate of a problem-based learning approach to the delivery of instructional services. Learn more about James Tenbusch at www.jamestenbusch.com.

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