Most adults realize that even the youngest toddlers are aware of both similarities and differences among people. Simply noticing that some people are male, others female, that some have light brown skin and others have long, straight black hair, is a natural outgrowth of a child's cognitive development. 

Researchers say that educators, and concerned parents and guardians should address the strong societal norms and biases that teach that difference alone is dangerous, delimiting, or deserving of ridicule and scorn.

Dispelling stereotypes, teaching compassion, respect for differences, and other principles of multicultural education prepare University School students to contribute thoughtfully and productively to the pluralistic society in which we live. Underlying this goal are several key assumptions, embedded in the social curriculum and the norms of adult discourse:

• Most people have or will encounter some form of mistreatment as a result of bigotry and discrimination. Exploring such experiences is essential for developing empathic awareness and understanding.
• Sexism, racism, classism, and other systems of bias hurt everyone. Thus, everyone, not just the targets of discrimination, benefits from learning about these systems. Perhaps the most recognizable results are fear, isolation, and mistrust, which often prevent us from establishing meaningful relationships with people different from ourselves.
• By its nature, all education is multicultural and rightly pays attention to visible and invisible differences and similarities, including learning styles, values, beliefs, and approaches to conflict of both teachers and learners.
• Developing comfort with and competency in diverse settings is a life-long journey that University School recognizes warrants developmentally appropriate teaching practices across the grade levels and strong partnerships with parents, guardians and families to ensure the best interest of all students is served.