KEENE, N.H., 3/15/10 - Dr. Paul Gorski will present Keene State College's 2010 Sidore Lecture, "Beyond the 'Culture of Poverty' Myth: Creating Equitable Classrooms and Schools," on Thursday, March 25, at 7 p.m. in the Mabel Brown Room of the Student Center.

Decades of social science research demonstrate that low-income people share no consistent and predictable culture, but the "culture of poverty" myth persists. Based almost entirely upon false stereotypes, this approach perpetuates the very inequities it seeks to eliminate. A more authentic approach to educational equity requires a careful look at educational systems and practices that deny low-income families opportunities that their wealthier peers take for granted. In this presentation, Dr. Gorski will explore those systems and practices and discuss strategies for eliminating economic injustice from our classrooms, schools, and society.

Dr. Gorski teaches at George Mason University's New Century College and has been a consultant for 10 years, conducting workshops and providing guidance to schools and community organizations committed to equity and diversity. He created and continues to maintain the Multicultural Pavilion (edchange.org/multicultural/index.html), a website focused on multicultural education. Gorski is past president of the National Association for Multicultural Education; the associate technology editor for Multicultural Perspectives; and an associate editor for Multicultural Education. He publishes and presents in education-focused forums on topics ranging from whiteness and racism studies to multicultural curriculum transformation.

The Sidore Memorial Foundation and the Sidore Series have been established to support campus presentations by speakers on emerging ideas and to enhance faculty efforts to challenge students and the wider community to participate in dialogue around original and sometimes controversial issues facing society.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Linda Baker at 603-358-2611 or lbaker@keene.edu.

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