Diversity in Education - Report Example

Diversity in Education The benefits of diversity in education have been recognized by many experts, who have also stressed that mere contact of racially diverse students through racial desegregation may not be adequate. Rather, the contact between students needs to occur under conditions where there is equality in status and commonality in goals, together with the intimacy of interaction if the true benefits of diversity are to be recognized and diversity is to operate in a positive manner.(Allport, 1954). Review of the strategic plan: The strategic plan of the Montgomery County Public schools is geared towards imparting a high quality education for every child. Individualized attention is being provided to students in the form of specific program support to provide help for students who are below grade level and at the same time, providing more options for gifted students in advanced placement programs. The program also includes an improved process for identifying those students with special needs and an improved curriculum in English for speakers of other languages. This provides an indication that some attempt has been made in the Montgomery County’s strategic plan to address the needs of a diverse base of students, especially from minority groups, for whom English may not be their primary language. Another important aspect of the strategic plan of Montgomery County is the smaller class sizes and higher levels of staff training, which indicate that there is a stronger focus on academic outcomes and ensuring that a high quality of education provided to each student. But there is no specific indication in the strategic plan on initiatives being taken to promote diversity. While measures are being taken to provide for the special needs of students who may not be native English speakers, or who may be disabled or placed at a level above or below the average learning standard, diversity requires measures to be taken up that will bring about greater and more intimate levels of interaction among students from different groups. As Allport (1954) has suggested, this requires equality in status and commonality in goals. While the Montgomery Country strategic plan does indicate commonality in goals, i.e, the attainment of a high quality education, this does not necessarily mean that diversity is being encouraged or promoted in the contact between students. Rather, they are being subtly segregated into component units based upon disabilities or native language, which may accentuate the differences between groups but not necessarily in a positive way. For example, ESOL students can be trained for a while in separate classes, but if diversity is to be achieved, then it is necessary that these ESOL students gain more opportunities to interact more intimately with other students. For disabled students, the Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004 has favored a policy of inclusion, recommending that disabled students are included in the general classroom to the maximum extent possible (Antoinette, 2003). But the strategic plan of Montgomery County actually identifies and separates out these groups, so that they can be brought up to the levels of other students. From the perspective of diversity, ESOL students may actually be better off if placed in regular English classes with other students. While their grades may not be as good, it is likely to prepare the students better to participate in a heterogeneous and complex society. In essence, the Montgomery county strategic plan may be producing a focus on identities that are based upon race, ethnicity, gender, class or other forms of social categorizations by focusing on these groups and singling them out for special treatment. But this may be inimical in contributing to a democracy that demonstrates diversity. As pointed out by Parker, democracy and diversity will not automatically co-exist, and multicultural education which raises the issue of the cultural dimension of citizenship, may contribute to a tension between unity and diversity.(Parker, 1996, p 104). Highlighting the differences of these groups in the manner the strategic plan does will not favor the development of unity among these students, or provide them the opportunity for the kind of intimate interaction that Allport (1954) recommends. Revision of the strategic plan: One of the most important revisions recommended to the strategic plan is to favor as far as possible, a policy of inclusion, both for disabled and ESOL students, rather than isolating them into special classes. The focus of the strategic plan is upon improving performance outcomes and there is a demonstrated improvement in terms of educational performances. While smaller classes and better trained staff represents excellent developments in the strategic plan, care must be taken to ensure that no racial, ethnic or other forms of categorization result after formulation of the groups. The division of students, especially in early elementary school must be carried out carefully to ensure a suitable mix of students, so that ample opportunity is provide for the kind of interaction necessary for the promotion of diversity. It is also recommended that the initiatives that have been commended in providing improved teacher training is also supplemented with higher wages. This would provide for much higher levels of motivation in teachers, especially in dealing with difficult students and ensuring that they integrate into the general classroom and achieve good educational outcomes. Current trends on HRM and implications for education: The importance of knowledge is increasingly being recognized in a competitive, global economy, where soft skills such as the ability to interact effectively with a diverse workforce and clientele base are more important for students to acquire than purely technical or mechanical proficiency (Rikowski, 2000). While land and other resources were valuable earlier, these are increasingly yielding to knowledge, skills, and the ability to respond quickly and effectively in a rapidly changing environment, which are the qualities organizations are seeking in their employees. The diversity experience in education affects the process of learning to become citizens, and helps students to prepare themselves to interact effectively in a global economy. Increasingly, in a technology fuelled environment, organizational workers are required to work in teams and groups, where members of such groups may comprise individuals of different cultures and backgrounds. Diversity in schools would ensure that students are able to make a smooth transition from the school environment into a work environment, with the soft skills they need to interact effectively in a global environment. Conclusion: The purpose of education is to prepare students to not only evolve into good citizens but also to be able to function in an increasingly competitive global environment, where American students are currently falling below the caliber of students in other countries. This requires students to not only possess skills and knowledge, i.e, a high standard of education, but also soft skills, u.e, the ability to interact effectively with others in a multi cultural, multi ethnic framework. Diversity training and the provision of opportunities to students to develop such skills through intimate interaction on a basis of equality with people of other social and ethnic groups is therefore vital to ensure such an outcome. While the strategic plan of Montgomery County is praiseworthy in that it is improving educational outcomes, it can be improved further by introducing measures to promote diversity among students. This would prepare the students better to function effectively in a globally competitive economy. Some of the measures currently in place in the place according to the strategic plan may however indirectly contribute to a racial or social isolation of certain groups of students, such as ESOL and disabled students and this may impede the goals of diversity, which are desirable to attain. A revision of the plan is therefore recommended to promote a more inclusive policy. Bibliography * Allport, G. (1954). “The nature of prejudice”, MA: Addison-Wesley * Antoinette, Marissa L, 2003. “Examining how the inclusion of disabled students into the general classroom may affect non-disabled classmates”, Fordham Urban Law Journal, volume 30. * Parker, W.C. (1996). “Advanced ideas about democracy: Toward a pluralistic conception of citizenship education”, Teachers College Record, 98, pp 104-125 * Rikowski, Ruth, 2000. “The knowledge economy is here – but where are the information professionals?” Business Information Review, 17: 157 Read More