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Diversity

Today's student population is becoming more and more diverse, and classrooms are reflecting this diversity. At one time it was thought that only urban schools and urban educators needed to be aware of, and address, issues of diversity. In contemporary U.S. society, however, it is recognized that, ideally, the ethnicity, background, and culture of all students will be addressed. Notwithstanding, in some education settings diversity is accepted and its value is promoted, whereas in other settings diversity is not valued, even to the point of being ignored. Over the next 40 years it is predicted that the number of diverse students (African American, Asian, Hispanic, or Native American, and many children of new immigrants) will increase dramatically. By 2050, there will be no majority race or ethnicity in the United States—every American will be a member of a minority group. Accordingly, educators need the knowledge to address ethnic and racial issues. It is generally accepted that the term diversity is used to recognize student differences, including physical and mental abilities, gender, ethnicity, race, language, religion, class, sexual orientation, and age. The term diversity simply means that people are different. While diversity has become the term used to recognize student differences, other terms have been used to describe minority groups or those considered less advantaged. Those terms include culturally deprived and culturally disadvantaged and previously were used to describe low-income students or those labeled socially disadvantaged. Later the term at risk was used to describe students considered less fortunate.

Culture, Race, and Class

A discussion of diversity must also include the concept of culture. Often ethnicity and race are related to culture. However, culture is more than just ethnicity and race. It is generally defined as the beliefs and practices, including knowledge, values, attitudes, and traditions, that are shared by a specific group of people. Individuals can belong to several cultural groups at the same time. Ethnicity has more to do with a person's ancestry, language, and physical characteristics. Race is considered to be a group of people with common biological traits that the group has used to define itself or seen as socially significant.

There are two concepts that need to be considered when looking at racism—institutional racism and personal racism. Institutional racism occurs when schools either knowingly or unknowingly prevent a certain group of students from having access to the same learning experiences as the dominant group. Institutional racism is often difficult to identify. Personal racism, on the other hand, is easier to identify, but both contribute to racial discrimination. The persons responsible for the education of all students can promote fairness and equity but may not even be aware that they are part of an education system that continues a bit of the racist past.

Traditionally race has been difficult to talk about in schools, because students generally are not comfortable discussing race, particularly in racially mixed settings. This has been attributed to students' belief that they live in a just society and their denial of personal prejudice. Some teachers are not comfortable leading discussions on racism.

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