How Does Demographics Affect Children

The college and children’s center serve a diverse population, including a large number of immigrants from the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Africa.

While shadowing at Ridge Elementary School, I noticed that some of the students seemed to be on different social-emotional scale levels. Some were natural born leaders and some were not which is okay. The natural born leaders would take charge of group assignments and the other children had no problem being a follower. Either way, the assignments that they had got done every time. I perceived almost immediately that an excess amount of the school’s students fell under three complexions. The three were mostly Hispanic, moderate Black/African descent, and few Caucasian. Since the school was mostly Hispanic this lead to the school has a lot of concentration on reading improvement clubs, in other words, bilingual education program which could be a great benefit for students who need the extra assistance. Taking a glance at the religious diversity in the classroom there were hard if any no visible religious diversities. Due to the majority of the school is the same ethnicity I am making an assumption the culture practiced the same religion which is why there is a lack of diversity in that area. More diversity should be added to this school district I believe the most impactful, and teachable moments are derived from a fellow diverse

This document is the Strategic Diversity Plan for the Houston R-I School District. This plan is a 5-year plan designed to help our school district meet the diverse needs of all students. It is our goal to have a school district that is embracive, supportive, and respectful of individual differences. The Houston R-I School District is focused on and committed to providing opportunities for our school and community to work together to develop a pluralistic relationship that supports all students socially, emotionally, and academically. We will strive to be a school

So what I decided to do to start off this project is I went in to interview my mom and ask her a few simple one of these questions was how you deal with the different diversity that comes into her daycare. She replied saying “ black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Muslim , Christian , Atheist we don’t discriminate we treat everyone the same it does not affect the teaching whatsoever, the only time it effects our program is for example when a Muslim parent ask that we not serve chicken to their child and we respect their wish.”

Classrooms are becoming more diverse than they were several decades ago because so many people are migrating from their country of origin to seek for better living opportunities, in search of a safe place and because the United States of America is a super power. Therefore political, economic, and social-cultural reasons are the causes of migration which results in families remaining in the country causing classrooms today to be more diverse than they were decades ago thereby rapidly changing the demography of the United States and its classroom (Vacca et al, 2014, p. 62). To confirm this point for instance, at my school, there are a total of 354 students and the percentage of Hispanics: 41.5%, Blacks: 40.1%, Whites: 13.6%, Multicultural: 3.7%, other: 1.2%, Asians: 0.9%. Students from these different cultural backgrounds have different values, attitudes and experiences.

It might impact because more immigrant households are enrolling in early childhood programs. According to Edweek.org(2014) the enrollment has increased in certain regions to include the west and south regions. Latinos were one of the races that were in high attendance in those school districts. Changing demographics can impact the center due to teachers not adequately prepared to teach children from cultural and linguistic background. This impact would force centers to have teachers training programs to prepare teachers for a more diverse center. Eric.ed.gov(2014) discusses that teachers will need to modify or change their teaching practices to now fit a changing demographic to specifically meet the needs of their students.

America now is a very culturally diverse nation; most of the minority and immigrant population lives in cities, which indicates that the public school classrooms in urban areas are full of versatile cultural identities. According to the 2000 Census record, minority and immigrant populations has grown in increasing numbers, and most of those people live in urban areas and attend public high schools; also, the level of residential segregation still remains as high as in 1990, which proposes new problems for immigrants and minorities. Monocultural schools are very rare and the global society is very multicultural; it is very logical to prepare students in schools to enter this diverse society (Le Roux 48). Teachers are largely responsible

Miss Kane’s first grade class at Lutie Lewis Coates Elementary School (also known as Coates Elementary) has twenty students and seventeen of them are considered English Language Learners (ELL) (E. Kane, Personal Communication, October 4, 2016). This is very frustrating for both Miss. Kane and her students because it is very difficult to communicate with many of her ELLs. Out of Miss Kane’s twenty students eight students are Hispanic, five Indian, five Black, and three White. Miss Kane’s class is very diverse and this allows students to feel more accepted because not all students are similar. Coates Elementary as a whole is very diverse: Asian 28.86%, Black 18.26%, Hispanic 37.32%, and White 12.08% (Fairfax County Public Schools, 2015). Miss Kane’s classroom reflects similar diversity as Coates Elementary does. Both Miss. Kane and the Coates staff really show their appreciation for diversity and attempt to treat all children equally giving all students equal opportunity. Coates Elementary is a Title I school; about fifty percent of students receive free and reduced lunch (Fairfax County Public Schools, 2015). This school was placed in the center of poverty and many of these students who participate in the free and reduced lunch program are English Language Learners.

Without a doubt, in current times the public school’s roster reflects the demographic makeup of its neighborhoods; racial and culturally, and these are the results of economics, more than a racial circumstance. That said, in continuing to change there will be more court cases on isolated discrimination and beyond the school system to allow changes needed. Currently, being able to have schools with diversity opens the minds of our youth to explore the world’s culture, it provides early on people to steer

Due to the large Caucasian community that resides in Cabot, it is essential for the school district to provide opportunities for students to be exposed to diversity. Although a school district cannot change its population make-up, it can provide opportunities to its students that teach diversity, tolerance, dignity and respect. Students must realize that, although their every day encounters with students during their school years are limited in regards to diversity, the world that awaits them when they graduate is composed of people of different races, ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds, etc. It is essential that the Cabot School District provide not only a sound academic foundation for students but a highly, diversified cultural foundation, as well.

Through the reading of Beyond Heroes and Holidays: A Practical Guide to K-12 Anti-Racist, Multicultural Education and Staff Development and A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota I have not only learned about the experiences of others, but have also gained a deeper understanding of my own racial and cultural identity and how that relates to other identities around me. In learning this information, I feel that I will not only be able to understand and relate better to my future students, but also understand their backgrounds and how they are affecting them presently. Therefore, I will be able to teach to individuals in the way they need me to, but also create a more welcoming and inclusive environment (racially, culturally, and otherwise) in my future classroom. The information I have read has helped me to understand my own racial and cultural identity, how it relates to the identities of my future students, and what I can do to make educational institutions more racially and culturally inclusive.

Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory West. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs. Lichter, D., Qian, Z., & Crowley, M. (2005). Child poverty among racial minorities and immigrants: Explaining trends and differentials. Social Science Quarterly, 86, 1037-1059.

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

The role of cultural diversity in the design and direction of the Harlem Children’s Zone project relates to the areas of ethnicity, economic status and age with respect to diversity.

Fostering cultural awareness in children has many benefits that contribute to the overall development of children. Educators encounter challenges that may include academic pressure, collaborating with diverse families, and meeting the needs of the students. This paper examines theoretical perspectives using a longitudinal study. The study examined the experiences of children ages 3.5 to 5.5, by using their everyday experiences of race and ethnic diversity in their classroom setting.