How can multicultural education affect broader social issues that impact our society? (e.g. intercultural communication/relations, prejudice, stereotypes, crime & poverty rates, achievement gaps, etc.)

The purpose of multicultural education is to create cultural awareness and acceptance and teach students that it's okay to be different; in fact, we ought to celebrate our differences. It helps to eliminate, or at the very least reduce, prejudices and racism and create a safer and more diverse world. Students who are taught in a multicultural environment enter the world with open eyes and are able to better understand the differences between cultures. They are able to react better when they come across cultural hate, and can spread the idea of cultural awareness themselves. When we understand cultural differences, we are better able to communicate with one another and achieve more. We can strive towards eliminating poverty among certain ethnic groups. We can increase productivity in the classroom (and in the working world). We can reduce achievement gaps by teaching in ways that all of our students can understand, no matter where they come from. We can eliminate stereotyping and prejudices among our students. We are molding the minds of students who have the potential to further unite the world in its goals, so it's incredibly important to teach them to be culturally aware and accepting.