Diversity In Education

Poverty is a serious issue which our society and children faces every day. It is a constant struggle that shouldn’t be ignored. UNICEF states “The study of OECD countries in 2007, over fourteen percent of Australian children under the age of eighteen are currently living in households who are defined as poor or with incomes less than half of the median national income”. The increase in the number and percentage of children living in poverty within our society has contributed to making today's classrooms more diverse than ever it has been. This highlights and makes both teaching and learning more challenging. Diversity exists in the students who are living in poverty and the education assistant and teachers must provide the concept of diversity

Students have their own best way in effectively learning the lesson. With the diversity of students, the problem is each student has a preferred learning style. It becomes undeniably one of the reasons that make it difficult to achieve the best expected outcome out of teachers’ effort. However, teachers try to incorporate various teaching techniques to make every learning opportunity become productive, meaningful, and relevant for the learners.

According to the 2014 Public School Review Diversity Report, the state of Maryland is rated the third most diverse public school system in the nation, with 43% White students, 37% African American students, 11% Hispanic students, 6% Asian students, and 3% Unknown. With a significantly higher population of African American students compared to the state average, the Baltimore City School District is a far less diverse agency than the state school system as a whole. Collectively, the Baltimore City Public School District is comprised of 85% African American students, 8% White students, 5% Hispanic, 1% Asian/Pacific Islander, and less than 1% American Indian, Multiracial, Native Hawiian/other (Baltimore City Public Schools, 2013a). Considering

Jonathan Kozol, a Harvard University scholar, witnessed the travesty of racial segregation within the inner city public educational system. After many years of teaching and exposure to substandard classrooms with dilapidated furniture, a shortage of materials to engage a pupil’s mind and a disproportionate diversity ratio, he could no longer tolerate the conditions in which he was surrounded. Kozol’s frustration compelled him to become a staunch advocate for disadvantaged children so that they might receive equal rights to a quality education.

Public schools are open to everyone regardless of disability, wealth, status, race or religion when private and parochial schools are not.

In chapter six the topic was about school and society. What I have gathered from this chapter is that a lot of schools and teachers aren’t incorporating and taking into consideration the culture and language of the students that attend the schools. The issue of diversity was major problem in schools and still happens today. The idea that minority students aren’t receiving the best education they can because teachers aren’t trained to fit their needs is kind of sad and unfair to those students. Students who come from Mexican families have a hard time communicating their teachers, because their teachers don’t know how to speak to them nor understand them.

It is absolutely imperative for educators to understand the perception of "kids do well if they can," rather than "kids do well if they want to," as explained by Dr. Ablon. Despite the significance of this concept, there is still a widespread, incorrect believe that behaviorally troubled children are acting up on purpose. Similarly, it is also commonly accepted that children who do poorly in school are failing because they are apathetic and lazy, when really the opposite is true.

Increasing diversity in college enrollment has been a top task for universities for over fifty years. Despite the targets for diversification, a wide margin exists between the number of affluent white students and minority students enrolled in universities. One of the criteria for admission to many colleges is a standardized admission test. Those of higher socioeconomic background tend to score higher on standardized tests—of various categories: namely, SAT (referred to as “Scholastic Aptitude Test” or “Scholastic Assessment Test”) and ACT (originally “American College Testing”) for the purpose of college admission—than those from a lower socioeconomic status (SES). It is sometimes evident that it is concentrated to racial groups: white and

In higher education, diversity has many meanings and even more implications. The Encarta World English Dictionary defines diversity as, “social inclusiveness - ethnic variety, as well as socioeconomic and gender variety, in a group, society, or institution” (Soukhanov, 1999). As important as diversity is tolerance. Encarta World English Dictionary defines tolerance as, “acceptance of different views - the acceptance of the differing views of other people, e.g. in religious or political matters, and fairness toward the people who hold these different views” (Soukhanov, 1999). The following is a definition of diversity in higher education, description of the diversity of the students and staff of WGU, and how WGU

It is clear from the above quote, that the ever changing diversity in our society, creates many challenges for an education system based on an ideology of hegemony based on the dominant discourse of white pedagogy. While not the official policy, the distribution of wealth in Ontario, and the tendency for immigrant populations and ethnic groups to live in the same neighbourhoods, segregation has occurred dividing classes by factors such as race and economic status. Although not a mirror image of the Canadian model, in the United States, similarly, bell hooks points out

Today’s schools and classrooms have the requirements of teaching students of various cultures, languages, abilities, and many other characteristic. Frequently schools draw differences by dividing students into groups such as white, middle classes students, American Indian, African American. This practice has negative results and increases a huge gap in the education system. More than forty percent of children in the American schools are from culturally diverse backgrounds (Sleeter 94). Thus, the cultural mismatch between teachers and students can cause a troublesome classroom experience for both sides. As a result, many culturally and linguistically diverse children may feel like they get into a completely different world when they come from

Educators need to generate learning environments that foster the growth of each individual student. Being able to give their students equality within their educational setting by having high, yet achievable goals for all students is something that educators need to concentrate on. In the General Capabilities of the Australian Curriculum, it confirms that all young people in Australia are set to become creative individuals, active and informed citizens, and successful learners (Education Services Australia, 2015). Regardless of the student’s socio-economic status (SES), cultural background, or self-esteem, if the student can see themselves progressing this will help build their

Like it or not, there has always been diversity among students in the classroom. It is the fact that each and every student is unique. From every circumstance, students bring a varying set of values, perspectives, and beliefs to the learning environment. Understanding the character of students is important in order to become a competent teacher. In fact, teachers should be aware and recognize students, as unique individuals, all acquire information differently than others. Some of these differences are due to developmental variations in cognitive, physical, intellectual, moral, emotional, and social changes caused by maturation and experience. And this reality of classroom conditions makes instruction much more challenging for teachers and

Within the core of many educational institutions, diversity is a commercial tacit. While every institution cannot offer the same kind of diversity, the endorsement of such exists through various definitions. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges define diversity through the various classes: race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, disability, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, and age (“Statement on Diversity”)

Describe an experience that has informed your understanding of how to negotiate differences articulated in and through constructions of race, culture, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, ability, and/or class. What insights or strategies do you bring forward from this experience?