Student Diversity in American Schools (Essay Sample)

Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Student Diversity in American Schools Introduction Student diversity in school takes place when schools admit learners from different backgrounds. The differences can be linked to the learners’ race, gender, ethnicity, or any other background. The disparity that arises from diversity can cause discrimination against individuals belonging to a specific group (Chan et al. 44). Therefore, student diversity is accompanied by the need for educational justice, which helps ensure that all students receive fair treatment. One of the causes for increased student diversity in a school is the increased number of refugees in a given country. As they look for safety in a different country from their own, refugees who get integrated into the school system add to the number of students from different backgrounds. The other cause is an improved education system within a country. Due to the high education standards in the United States, individuals from other countries register in American schools as students. Those who move into these schools contribute to student diversity. The paper shows the levels of student diversity in the United States and illustrates how teachers can address issues that arise from the same. Student Diversity in American Schools The population of the United States is diverse, and the same is reflected in the education system. Among the different races, whites are the majority. The minority races include Hispanics, African Americans, Asian-Americans, and Latinas (Korhonen). Also, being a capitalistic nation, America has individuals who make vast amounts of money, whereas some live in poverty, contributing to the existing diversity in economic terms. Student diversity can be looked at from two perspectives. The first is to consider the differences in the student population in each school. Every school has a percentage of students that differ from the other students, whether in terms of race, economic status, or gender. The other perspective of considering student diversity is to look at the overall student population in the United States and then categorize them into regions that showcase diversity. For example, there are schools in regions where the predominant population is African American, and the population of students in such a school is African American. In a different school based in a community where the population is white, the students are primarily white. Comparing the student populations between these two schools shows the existing student diversity in the United States. Each school contributes to the overall student diversity in America. Implications of Diversity in Teaching Student diversity has brought about discrimination in resource access, making teaching challenging in some schools. Schools that predominantly have students of color or students from low-income backgrounds do not receive as many learning materials or funding as their counterparts who come from white or high-income backgrounds (Cardona 2). The lack of sufficient funds and other resources makes learning difficult for the students. It takes more dedication for a teacher in such schools to make the students knowledgeable than students from other schools. Student diversity determines the attitude of teachers, which controls one’s teaching ability, contributing to the results that students get in class (Bituin et al. 4). Teachers’ attitude when dealing with minority students determines whether the students will become motivated to learn. The attitude of teachers comes from their worldview concerning these groups of individuals. A teacher who discriminates against these groups will not be enthusiastic about teaching a class where the number of students from minority groups is increasing. Hence, teaching and the resultant performance differ depending on student diversity in class. A negative attitude can also come from the students and affect the teacher's teaching ability. As student diversity in the classroom increases, students from different cultures perceive that they feel like they do not belong to their group. The lack of belonging to the group results in reduced participation among the students as they feel inadequate to be in the group settings where they have found themselves. When the students lack the confidence to answer questions in class or participate in classroom activities, they reduce the teacher's morale in teaching them. Hence, they slow down the teaching process. Student diversity in the classroom can foster creativity while teaching. Students from different backgrounds have different perspectives about life. Teaching such students requires the teacher to be highly considerate, so he accommodates all the students. Doing so requires the teacher to consider teaching the students differently than usual. Essentially, it calls for the teacher to be more creative in lesson delivery. Teaching diverse students also encourages critical thinking from the students. When the students are diverse, it means they have not been exposed to the teaching style or culture of the teacher. As the students experience teachings from an individual of a different background, they have to think critically to blend in with the ideas shared by the teacher. Hence, student diversity has the advantage of encouraging critical thinking. Ways Teachers Can Address the Issues of Diversity When the teaching resources and funding are inadequate due to student diversity, teachers can approach the school management and request more resources and funds to help improve the teaching standards. Whereas the school might not get the resources or funds from the parties it expects to get them from, such as the government, it can use other means to raise the money, such as contacting sponsors that are willing to support different students getting suitable materials for studying. Without the teachers raising these issues through the school management, no action might be taken to improve the teaching standards in such schools. An effective solution that can help address the issues that arise from student diversity is to encourage education justice. Education justice ensures that each student gets the right platform to learn the same way as other students (Bassey 2). Students cannot shy away from the fact that they, too, get discriminated against depending on the community they come from. Such discrimination can lead to timidity in class, complicating the teaching process. Teachers and students can be at the forefront of fighting for the rights of every student and ensuring that discrimination in schools against minority groups ends. When this occurs, students from different backgrounds will become more comfortable in class, and the teaching process will be easier. Another action teachers can take to address the issues that arise from student diversity is to know the students better and maintain communication with them. When students are in an environment they are not used to, they may restrain themselves from expressing what they think. They do so because they are uncertain of the teacher's and other students' perceptions of them. By having a teacher know them better and maintain consistent communication, the teacher creates rapport with the students from the diverse communities. As a result, the students feel comfortable in their environment, and they respond by making it easy for the teacher to teach. A teacher can also rectify the existing issues by giving students the freedom and flexibility they need in their situation. A tea...