Equity and Diversity

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer maintains that the educational system teaches students about their common shared history, as Americans, as human beings, and as ethical members of a larger community than their immediate family. However, the writer argues that even the youngest pupils have already received an education from their peers, parents, and the media of a nation that is full of overt and covert messages about ethnicity, race, and gender. The writer concludes that it is crucial to foster self-esteem as a part of diversity education, as the self-confidence needed to deal with the pressures of modern schooling, such as high stakes testing can put minorities at a disadvantage in the American school system. Further, the writer notes that although the cherished assumptions of American meritocracy suggest that race does not matter and talent will always make itself known, racism can mask children's natural talents and ambitions with negative self-fulfilling prophesies that teachers must use curriculum materials to counteract.

From the Paper:

"A sensitive educator should know how to treat the issue of the child's actual racial identity with caution. Rather than try to convince the child with words, use positive actions. It might be a good idea to add certain positive depictions of African-American children in the reading curriculum, and to incorporate some issues pertaining to American civil rights or Africa into the social studies lesson, so the child has tangible and concrete images of the existence of persons who physically resemble him. This is not a narrow promotion of diversity, as alleged by Banks. Rather it is an inclusive education in the diversity of the human condition, from which all students can benefit in their education."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Banks, James. (2000) Cultural Diversity and Education: Foundations, Curriculum and Teaching. New York: Allyn & Bacon.
• Diller, Jerry V. and Jean Moule. (2004) Cultural Competence: A Primer for Educators. Boston: Wadsworth Publishing.

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