The dissertation presents the analysis of multicultural education development in the US higher school. There is substantiated the categorical field of research (multicultural education, culture, system of cultural values, cultural pluralism, assimilation, cultural identification, interethnic interaction, ethnic stereotype, ethnocultural tolerance, nation, race, ethnicity, racial and ethnic groups, racism, sexism, prejudice, discrimination etc.). The primary sources of multicultural education are the philological and pedagogical heritage of such outstanding teachers of the past as J.A. Comenius, J.H. Pestalozzi, W.A. Diesterweg, J. Dewey. The stages of formation and development of multicultural education in the USA are the following: stage I – from the 20’s to the first half of the 50’s of the 20 th century; stage II – the mid-50’s to the early 80’s; stage III – the beginning of the 80’s to the present day. At present, multicultural education in the USA has the status of state educational policy, which is enshrined in law. A special professional organization – the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) – was established in 1990, and many higher education institutions include multicultural research centers. Leading US scholars (J. Banks, K. Bennett, K. Grant, Y. Garcia, S. Nieto, W. Parker, etc.) substantiated the basic concepts of multicultural education (ethnic; linguistic; cultural deprivation; anti-racism; radicalism; genetic determinism), suggested models for the transformation of the educational space of educational institutions in order to create a multicultural learning environment, as well as developed special programs for multicultural training of specialists for professional activities in a multinational society. Multicultural education is a component of the US higher education. The purpose of multicultural education in higher education is to train a multicultural specialist capable of effective professional interaction in a multicultural society. Multicultural training in the United States is carried out in all institutions of higher education and applies to all specialties. However, more attention is paid to the multicultural training of humanities students, future professionals who will work directly with people in a 22 multicultural environment (teachers, social workers, etc.). The process of multicultural training in higher education includes a variety of learning technologies (problem-based learning, personality-oriented technology, technology of group learning activities, learning technology as research, interactive, information technology, technology of concentrated learning, portfolio technology, etc.), methods (game methods, project method, case method, transition registers, trainings (attributive, intercultural, cultural assimilator), forms (traditional lecture, lecture for two, lecture in the press-conference format, discussion-style seminar, report-format seminar, seminar in the format of extended talk, excursions, tutorials, etc.). Training of specialists for intercultural interaction is carried out not only in the process of classroom studies, but also during practice, independent work, participation in scientific research, various extracurricular professionally-oriented educational activities. The expediency of using in Ukraine certain ideas of American experience of multicultural education in US higher education is substantiated: ensuring equal access of all citizens to higher education, without ethnic, religious, physical, gender differences; improving programs and curricula of multicultural training by including therein multiculture-orientated special courses as well as integrated courses in literature, culture, history, religion, art of ethnic minorities in the region, which helps future professionals to understand the interaction, interpenetration and mutual enrichment of different cultural and historical ethno-national communities, to identify its universal potential; involvement of students in drawing up curricula; taking into account the peculiarities of a multicultural region in the process of training specialists; creation of an appropriate multicultural environment in all institutions of higher education; development of bilingual educational programs; the active application of innovative technologies, forms and methods of teaching in multicultural training of specialists in higher education of Ukraine (information technology, portfolio, lecture for two, lecture in the press-conference format, discussion-style seminar, case method, method of cognitive game, transitional registers, intercultural, attributive trainings, cultural assimilator); increasing the role of practice, independent, research and professionally-oriented extracurricular work in the formation of a multicultural specialist. Key words: ethnic minorities, multicultural environment, multicultural education, multicultural training, bilingual education, US higher education.
