Publishing Web for Students' Final Papers
Publishing Web for Students' Final Papers |
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From: Annie McDevitt
Email: banannie@cats.ucsc.edu
Course: Psychology 100G: Issues of Diversity in
Developmental Psychology
College: University of California, at Santa Cruz
Instructor: Eugene Matusov
ClassWeb: http://www.ematusov.com/psych100G
ChildrenObservations: No
Date: 13 Dec 1996
Time: 18:17:15
Remote Name: as-maclab-14.ucsc.edu
One in every 4 Americans identifies as a person of color, according to the census taken in1990 . This is quite a contrast to only 1 in 10, thirty years ago at the height of the civil rights movement. (Moran, Rachel F., 1996) Considering the cultural climate of our country, it is important that educators ask themselves the question, “where are we in the process of moving towards a multicultural learning environment?” The purpose of this paper is to begin to address this issue, to take a look at what progress has been made since the landmark case of Brown vs. Board of Education. Has all the talk in recent years about “diversity” and “mulitculturalism” been simple lip service, or is there substance and structure behind those words? Through research done on the Internet and in psychology texts, I’ve found that within education, there has been a shift towards the ideal of “colorblindness”. While on the one hand, schools are no longer allowed to be segregated, on the other hand, there continues to be an unspoken expectation for all students to fit a White, middle class, english proficient mold. There are some models and theories for the creation of multicultural classrooms. However, most classrooms are a long way from putting in the necessary efforts to bring about these long-overdue changes.
Where is our educational system in the process of shifting towards learning environments which embrace the diversity of an increasingly multicultural student population? By the year 2000, only 42.7% of students in California will be white. (Ullrich, Nancy, 11/26/96, class presentation) Classrooms need to be a place of preparation for students facing an increasingly diverse world. However, it seems that there has been a move towards the impossible ideal of “colorblindness”. In recent years, federal courts have decided that past discrimination has been remedied. It is currently believed that “continuing school segregation can no longer be attributed to state action, but is, instead, a product of private preferences and socioeconomic differences.” (Moran, Rachel F., 1996) It is not taken into account that perhaps these “preferences” and “socioeconomic differences” themselves are, in fact due to discrimination. While perhaps the theory of a colorblind school system is attractive, in practice it is severely debilitating because, if the system doesn’t see color, then it doesn’t see almost half of its students.
It seems that integration has often been interpreted as assimilation when it comes to education. The intention is good; to stop differential treatment on the basis of race and ethnicity. Unfortunately, in the process, we have forgotten that students’ differences are positive, a means by which they can learn from one another. For a country supposedly built on the ideal of individualism it’s strange that we seem to be so afraid of cultural differences. Teaching methods do exist however, which attempt to celebrate the differences of students. In one method, “children are taught their own racial or ethnic group’s culture, history and literature as a means of reinforcing their unique identity and heritage.” (Moran, Rachel F., 1996) Currently, in many classrooms, curiculum is very Euro-centric. Student’s of other ethnic backgrounds rarely hear of the traditions, writings and history of their own cultures. This can create feelings of inferiority within these students of color. Additionally, when students speak languages other than english, they are often classified as remedial, another blow to their feelings of self-efficacy. (U.S. Department of Education, 1995)
Universities have been more quick to implement programs encouraging the value of diversity, and our grade school system should follow their lead. At the University of California, at San Diego, a task force has been developed to deal with these issues. The University has realized that a multicultural learning environment does not happen without effort. So, they have appointed a group to actively work toward establishing and implementing programs for diversity. Their taskforce offers some helpful and noteworthy insight for educators, present and future. They state, “Rather than offering the lament, ‘Why can’t they be like us?’ individuals in culturally competent organizations welcome and create opportunities to learn about others who are different from themselves... In progressive organizations leaders want to create an environment in which all people can be their best and in which communication promotes harmony and productivity.” (Diversity Education Program, 1996)
According to Delia Saldana, a Hispanic social psychologist, “(In college), Hispanic students have experienced poorer academic performance and higher rates of psychological distress when compared to their White peers.” (Saldana, D.H. ,1994) I would like to make two suggestions concerning this statement. First, that it could be generalized to other non-White cultures as well. And second, that this unequal performance is due to a grade-school system which fails to instill a value for diversity, and consequently fails to instill self-efficacy in its students of color.
What are some small steps to take towards this goal of a diversity affirming learning environment? Briefly- 1. Having educators or teachers aides who are competent in the primary language of their students. 2. Having a curiculum which includes and reflects the diversity of the school community. 3. Having a value for collaborative learning which teaches students and educators to value and learn from each others’ cultural and language differences. (Issues in Cultural Diversity, 4/96)
Works Cited
1. **Diversity Education Program**, June, 1996, http://wwwhr.ucsd.edu/online/etc/diversity
2. Moran, Rachel F. 1996, **Diversity in Education**, http://www.abanet.org/publiced/focussp96zoom.htm
3. **Research Knowledge and Policy Issues in Cultural Diversity and Education**, April, 1996. http://inet.ed.gov/pubs/Ed Reform Studies/Sys Reforms/tharp5.html
4. Saldana, D.H. (1994). Acculturation and Stress: Minority status and distress. **Hispanic Journal of the Behavioral Sciences**, 16(2), 116-128.
5. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Language Affairs, 1995. **Principles of Effectiveness and Promising Practices, Models Strategies in Bilingual Education: Professional Development**, Chapter 2.
