Chapter 2 Race and Ethnicity

Acculturation

Adoption of the dominant group's cultural patterns by a new or oppressed group.

Adequate yearly progress (AYP)

A minimum level of improvement—measurable in terms of student performance—that school districts and schools must achieve within specific timeframes specified in the federal law No Child Left Behind.

Afrocentric curriculum

Curriculum centered on or derived from Africa.

Amnesty

A pardon for unauthorized immigrants who have been in the United States for a number of years and meet eligibility requirements that allow them to be legal residents and become U.S. citizens.

Assimilation

Process by which groups adopt and change the dominant culture.

Asylees

Persons who travel to the United States from another country and ask for asylum or protection from being persecuted in their native country.

Civil rights

The rights of personal liberty guaranteed by the 13th and 14th Amendments tothe U.S. Constitution and by acts of Congress.

De facto segregation

Separation of people by race that occurs by the choice of the people involved

De jure segregation

State-mandated separation of people by race.

Endogamy

Marriage within the same ethnic, cultural, or religious group.

Ethnic group

Membership based on one's national origin or the national origin of one's ancestors when they immigrated to the United States.

Indigenous

Population that is native to a country or region. In the United States, Native Americans, Hawaiians, and Alaska Natives are indigenous populations.

Involuntary immigrants

Immigrants who did not choose to emigrate from their native countries, but were forced to or conquered by others

Jim Crow laws

Legal restrictions on persons of color sharing public accommodations with whites.

Metropolitan areas

An urbanized area of 50,000 or more population that includes the city and its suburban areas

Miscegenation

Marriage between person of different races.

Multiethnic curriculum

Curriculum that incorporates accurate and positive information about the history, experiences, contributions, and perspectives of the ethnic groups that comprise the US. population

Nativism

Policy favoring assimilated ethnic groups in a country over immigrants.

Naturalized Citizenship

Immigrants of ages 18 and over who have become U.S. citizens.

Nordic race

Germanic people of northern Europe who are white with a tall stature, long head, light skin and hair, and blue eyes.

Racism

The belief that one race is superior to others.

Refugees

Persons and their relatives outside the U.S. who are recognized by the U.S. government as being persecuted or subject to persecution in their home country because of race, religion, nationality, or membership in a specific social or political group.

Restorative justice

A cooperative approach that involves educators, parents, and students who have been suspended to repair the harm that was done and restore students' relationships in the school with a focus on the student taking responsibility for his or her actions and the adults providing support for the student in the process.

Stereotypes

Exaggerated and usually biased generalizations and views of a group of people.

Threat assessment

An approach to preventing violent crime in schools that identifies a potential threat, investigates it, and provides appropriate intervention such as mental health counseling to address the issues that are causing a student to consider violence.