Diversity in the Classroom: The New Face of America
Discipline: Education
Type of Paper: Discussion Essay
Academic Level: Master's
Paper Format: APA
Pages: 2
Words: 1100
Question
The video ‘Diversity in the Classroom: The New Face of America
was shown to you in Unit #1. Now that you are at the end of your course, what suggestions would you offer a school to improve the climate in its diverse classrooms? Is your answer different from your answer in Unit #1? If so, explain why.
I am surprised that there is growing segregation in schools here in the United States. Racial diversity is important in schools to teach children acceptance and tolerance of different human beings in society. On May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court that in this Republic public schools education is important as it is a requirement for good citizenship and that segregating children solely based on their race should no longer exist. However, in the 1980s there was an accelerated push for racial diversity in the US in the wake of several supreme court decisions during the Bush administration. The key to enacting diverse learning environments is understanding and developing programs and policies to improve the classroom environment for racial/ethnic diversity, which the teacher should understand the environment from the member's perspectives of different racial/ethnic backgrounds. The National School Climate Center has defined school climate as the "quality and character of school life." The Center identifies four major aspects: safety, teaching and learning, relationships, and environment. The teacher should be able to create learning opportunities for improved race relations that will permeate the classroom and extracurricular lives of all the students. Rules and constant enforcement of positive school behavior programs with clear communicated rules(verbal and written) for common areas, classroom behaviors, and guidelines for adult intervention. The teacher needs to realize the educational benefits of diverse learning environments for all students who need to be prepared for the future demands of a complex, diverse society. School is the place for students to feel safe and comfortable. An environment that makes a student feel welcome so that he/she can focus on learning. The curriculum should improve self-efficacy in learners. The learner should be able to improve their own self-worth, tolerance, and appreciation for different views. Understanding different cultures can help students see how people like them have succeeded. This fosters creativity and helps students to collaborate with each other. Teachers should reach out to parents by sharing the children's successes. A school's climate should reflect the attitudes and beliefs of the individuals that are present in that learning environment.
