Meeting the Needs of Multiracial Students

Whole School

Race is a socially constructed concept that has long been used to categorize and marginalize. Moreover, the idea of race is often erroneously viewed through a lens that presumes that individuals have a single monoracial identity. This, however, fails to recognize the reality that individuals come from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds. This results in privileging those who are able to identify with a single racial category.
There are many students at international schools who are able to identify as multi-racial. These students have unique needs, especially when it comes to how they are able to identify their own senses of identity and how they navigate a world that privileges monoracial identities. In this workshop, participants will learn more about the identity development of multiracial students, and the various issues these students can face. Participants will have an opportunity to use this learning to reflect on their own practice and consider what changes they might make to better support multiracial students.

Session Goals:

Participants will walk away from this session with a better understanding of the experience of multiracial students and how schools might better support these students.

Session Outcomes:

  • Learn more about the unique features of a multiracial identity
  • Identify different types of microaggressions that multiracial students experience
  • Explore ways that schools might explicitly support multiracial students

Kristoffer Munden:

Kris Munden is Filipino-American and grew up as a third culture kid. The questions of “Where are you from?” and “What are you?” constantly perplexed him growing up (even now!). He currently is serving as the High School Assistant Dean of Student Life at Singapore American School. He recently earned his Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California where his dissertation focused on the long-term impacts of a high school program that combined project- and work-based learning.