One of the major issues that surfaced in critically evaluating the state in which the educational institution is concerned is the lack of diversity. Specifically, the lack of diversity among the school staff members, with 83% of teachers being white, 7% black, 6% Asian, 2% Hispanic, and 2% mixed race. While many American schools are experiencing a similar problem, the prevalence of white educators is especially notable in this institution (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019). Given that there are 57 teachers total, the least represented ethnicities may only have one or two people in the respective group.
These numbers pose an issue for several reasons. The power dynamics of teacher-student and white privilege may mix, giving rise to a single predominant narrative, which is inherently harmful to the purposes of a genuinely diverse education (Gollnick & Chinn, 2021). Educators that belong to a particular culture or group, especially the over-represented ones such as white, and Anglo-Saxon Americans, may not be as actively aware of the different facets of other cultures, leading to misunderstandings, insensitivity, or dismissive or discriminatory practice in the worst cases. As a result, students may not receive the best education they deserve or feel like their cultures’ roles have been downplayed.
The ‘single narrative’ issue is further exacerbated by the limited advances toward a genuinely inclusive curriculum. Some educators in the institution do not know how to alter their courses appropriately to be more inclusive of different cultures. This is especially the case with those who do not teach social sciences or history but rather STEM subjects. Lastly, the school has made considerable efforts to incorporate the notions of inclusivity and diversity into students’ everyday life, but there have been specific discriminative incidents between students.
To fully address the issues described previously, it is recommended that the institution, first and foremost, instills systematic change in how it addresses diversity and inclusion. The first measure is the creation of the support system, which relies on several findings and assumptions. Manning et al. (2017) contend that providing a socially just environment in schools relies on an organized support network. They advocate for educators to become social justice mediators, arguing that such an approach facilitates successful school performance (Manning et al., 2017). Additionally, Gollnick and Chinn (2021) note that students excel academically and vocationally when the learning environment endorses their ambitions – and part of what makes an environment supportive is accounting for diverse cultural needs. The proposed system would rely on a committee that should be formed out of two or three willing teachers, a special educator, a school counselor, a school nurse, and several parents from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The responsibility of this committee would be to make the institution more responsive to students from varying environments. It would also coordinate the following phases of the proposed diversity and inclusion initiatives.
To ensure that every subject area and not only social sciences are incorporating the principles of diversity, the committee will also be tasked with researching and providing teachers with materials that foster reflection and creative thinking on the topic. The teachers will be encouraged to challenge their extant views to move away from the single, culturally predominant narrative. To achieve this aim, the committee may assign readings such as Waking up white and finding myself in the story of race by Irving (2016). Across all groups, students should be encouraged to strive for higher achievements and participate in competitions.
Lastly, educators in the institution should be prepared and actively willing to address any discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender, race, or abilities. To do so, the committee will design pieces of training that will overview such themes as varying cultural perceptions of communication, diverse foods, or culturally specific slang. Moreover, sessions will be designed on conflict de-escalation, safety, bullying prevention in the classroom, and others. In conclusion, all interventions will facilitate safety and tolerance, create a support structure, and fill the extant knowledge gaps.
References
Gollnick, D. M., & Chinn, P. C. (2021). Multicultural education in a pluralistic society (11th ed.). Pearson.
Irving, D. (2016). Waking up white: And finding myself in the story of race (1st ed.). Elephant Room Press.
Manning, M. L., Baruth, L. G., & Lee, G. L. (2017). Multicultural education of children and adolescents (6th ed.). Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
National Center for Education Statistics. (2019). Spotlight A: Characteristics of public school teachers by race/ethnicity. Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Groups. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Web.