The Importance Of 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

Educationalists have suggested that students’ understanding of their community and appreciation of diversity can be endorsed through opportunities to share values and challenge prejudices across the curriculum (DCSF 2007). School X recognises the role students play in the sustenance of a cohesive community. Due to the extremely diverse demographic of the community of Borough M, the council encourages the sustenance of a cohesive community in which all cultures are given equal importance (Gilligan, 2012). School X resonates this agenda, by promoting and celebrating diversity, and as an all-girls’ school, it recognises the importance of empowering young girls to facilitate their ownership of learning and progression. The school has been involved

It is 2017 and you are sitting in a discussion section or a lecture that ranges from 20 to 70 students, and the topic of race is brought up. You pause for the briefest second and look around forgetting to exhale. You understand that race is not a surface topic, one cannot discuss the high incarceration rates of African American males without first discussing institutionalized racism. You understand that there are different privileges and oppressions placed upon individuals when they are born depending on their

Diversity has been a main theme within Education 100, and throughout the past eight weeks I have learned about the many ways that diversity applies to education. The first assignment we were given was to complete the Diversity Module, and that helped explain many terms and concepts about diversity, specifically in context to a college campus. Though with the topics we talked about throughout the eight weeks, each one can be applied to diversity in a different way.

Which is why it’s crucial that our voices are constantly heard regardless of how many times we continue to be shut down. I think it’s a little hard to express yourself as an African American student if some teachers are not willing to give you space to do. That space means different for every student because what might work for one student, won't work for another. I thought the speech by Strauss (2015) was very powerful and initiated a conversation that most teachers aren’t willing to talk about. From a personal experience, teachers are sometimes reluctant to talk about issues that minorities go through such as racial disparities. Smith stated how although most of the educators are white, there are still a good number of minorities in a classroom that their history should be incorporated into the teacher’s curriculum. Even in high school, black history was not something that was heavily emphasized on expecting in black history month. But even during black history month, the statements never seemed to be direct and detailed. It was always the basics which I am not blaming teachers in any way but I do think that teachers can make a big difference in these

One of the pressing issues trending in higher education is the matriculation and retention of women and minority students in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). As our global economy continues to battle with other nations in staying abreast with cutting edge industrial fields, colleges, and universities are faced with increasing the number of students in the STEM field. There is urgency in not only expanding the number of students pursuing a STEM major, but also more importantly heightening the number of women and minority students in those fields.

As an educator it is important to respect and value each child regardless of their cultural background and heritage. An educator needs to understand the value of their culture and manage the dynamics of the difference, acquiring and institutionalizing cultural knowledge and adapting to diversity and cultural contexts. Educators and families could start by critically reflecting on attitudes and values, and or the ways in which children respond to diversity in order to examine the extent to which the setting is accessible to families and communities with diverse languages, beliefs and practices. Once an educator fosters this approach it will enable them to promote a sense of community within the child care facility and nurture each individual

Diversity is a value that is shown in mutual respect and appreciation of the similarities and differences such as age, culture, education, ethnicity, experience, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, and social class that makes people unique. An environment where diversity is respected is one where as individuals and members of teams we effectively apply all our talents, skills and experiences. Diversity influences the world around us and allows us to see the world in our personal values. Consequently, no matter what profession I enter I will find myself working with students, parents, employers, coworkers or customer from the worldwide diverse background and learning new things. I will be able to lay the groundwork to comfortably work and interact with individuals with different profiles. But, before I can to that I must keep my personal profile in mind.

Latino’s are at a disadvantage when it comes to education, being that most minority groups/children and adolescents attend public schools within poverty-stricken areas. Many or several public schools lack a lot of resources to give a decent quality of education, depending on the location of where the facility is located. It has been discussed that lack of technology, teachers, and among other reasons, are the cause of minority groups, such as Latino’s, to have a high dropout rate.

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”)

I worked within an Independent School System for 10 years. As I contemplated the idea of working towards my Master’s in Education I brought with me the idea of diversity in education and why facilitating different school systems is vital to a healthy society. “Not every youngster gets along well in the public school system.” (Cunningham, 171) said Pat McGeer of the Ministry of Education publication Education Today. This very statement was a cry from thousands of families throughout the province of British Columbia in the 1960s. (Sullivan, 1988) My argument for this paper is that for governments to be ethical and moral agents they must hear the voices of their constituents, even if they are a few; and then respond equitably and with

As of July 1, 2011, there are 36, 708, 083 people in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2017a). 1.2% higher than the population last year, which was 36, 264, 604 people of all ages and both sexes (Statistics Canada, 2017b). The growth of population in Canada, which in this case powered largely by immigration, increases not only the human capital, but the diversity in every province as well. Hence, as diversity expands, there is also a rampant growth in religion. In 2011, there are 108 religions observed in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2011) - Christianity, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu – to name a few. These demographics have connotations on how diversity in school is also evident.