Discrimination In Schools - And How It Affects Students Way of Life - Essay Example

Discrimination in Schools - and how it affects way of life Preferably, the classroom is a place where information and knowledge are distributed in an environment conducive to effective learning for all students. Discrimination and harassing behavior based on race, gender or sexual orientation deny students equal educational opportunities in addition to violating federal civil rights law. If students are being treated poorly because of racial or sexual orientation, the results of these actions are often increased stress levels that may lead to negative emotional and behavioral issues. This discussion examines the affects that discriminatory actions have on students including some mixed and possibly surprising conclusions. Most studies regarding the affects of prejudice or discrimination have historically been focused on adults, but little is known of how race and gender affect school students’ well-being. Research headed by David L. DuBois, Ph.D., of the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago was conducted in an attempt to illuminate the affects of discrimination at the middle school level. The study was designed to measure discriminatory experiences and how study participants were affected by them, while others tests were conducted to measure major life stressors, racial and gender identity, self-esteem and behavior. The study was deemed necessary “not only for promoting optimal individual development, but also for meeting the nation’s social and economic needs,” according to DuBois (Ippoliti, 2002). The research, involving 350 male and female students ages 11-15 of both black and white ethnicity, included asking the students question such as ‘Were you called names or insulted at school about your race/ethnicity’ and ‘Were you treated unfairly at school because you are a girl/boy” (Ippoliti, 2002). The study found considerable disparities in responses among these two groups of students. More than 40 years following the Civil Rights Act of 1964, black students, not surprisingly, recounted more encounters with discrimination and prejudice than did whites. The research found that the black students who reported elevated amounts of discrimination as compared to whites were more susceptible to experiencing varied emotional problems. These problems originated from internalized anger. According to DuBois, “Many black youths may not have felt adequately supported in their efforts to deal with situations involving perceived victimization or unfair treatment on the basis of race” (Ippoliti, 2002). This new study also confirmed earlier research which also established that, within this age range, blacks tend to have higher self-esteem than whites. Blacks overwhelmingly reported having deepened attachments to their own racial identity than did whites as a result from actions of discrimination. This strong racial identity is influential in serving to enhance the self-esteem of black students. Previous research has produced varied results pertaining to how a strong racial identity helps students to cope with the stresses of discrimination. Some studies have shown that although heightened attachment with similar racial factions can act as a boost to self esteem, at the same time this association may possibly lead to feelings of indignity. The second part of the DuBois study established that occurrences of gender discrimination lead, predictably, to feelings of lower self-esteem and lessened feelings regarding their own gender identity. However, other studies show that a student’s gender (much the same as racial) identity can be strengthened as a result of stresses experienced by discriminatory actions. White males reported experiencing fewer acts of discrimination than blacks reported and fewer day-to-day problems relating to gender than did girls. White boys also accounted having a more optimistic opinion of their gender than did white females. However, white males were not impervious to gender and racial challenges. According to DuBois, “By early adolescence, white males can be expected to be aware of criticism of the advantages they enjoy in contemporary society and to be exposed to situations in which others respond negatively to them on this basis” (Ippoliti, 2002). This has been described by some as a type of a ‘reverse discrimination.’ The study also found that, as the recipient of both gender and racial bias, black female students were especially vulnerable to discrimination. However, the study accounted that black females did not report greater amounts of negative emotional and behavioral issues compared with the black males and whites. This suggests that black females’ psyche might be strengthened by similar high self-esteem levels and strong racial identity reported by the black male students. Adolescence can be a stressful and trying experience for students of any description and more so for females and minorities but is probably most stressful for gay students. The affects of discrimination for the gay student during teenage years is nothing short of harrowing. These students confront harassment and abuse from their peers that is specifically directed at them because of their perceived or genuine sexual orientation. In many instances, issues regarding gay discrimination are not properly addressed by school administrators. In fact, there have been documented cases in which educators themselves have been involved in hostile discriminatory actions towards gay students. As a result, gay students are at a “considerable and disproportionate risk for mental health problems, self-endangerment and self-injury as well as for poor school performance, absenteeism, and dropping out of school” (“Hated in the Hallways”, 2001). Research has been consistent in demonstrating the universally known fact that gay students in almost all cases endure a persistent antagonistic environment at school. It is relatively safe to assume that anyone having attended the public school system in the U.S. has witnessed verbal and physical abuse directed towards a students’ perceived (or actual) sexual orientation. The Human Rights Watch, an international human rights organization, found in its study involving discrimination against gay students that persecution of gay students is an “endemic in American schools and is nearly a daily reality for many students” (“Hatred in the Hallways”, 2001). Gay students are more than “two times as likely to have been assaulted or in a physical fight, and three times as likely to have been threatened or injured with a weapon at school (than heterosexuals)” (“Youth Risk Behavior Survey”, 2000). Lesbian students face even more discrimination than gay males as they endure harassment from both heterosexual females and from males regardless of sexual orientation. Gay students, predictably, are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, run away from home and practice unsafe sex. In addition, a disproportionate number of gay students attempt to or considers taking their own life. “[They] often invest tremendous energy in coping with society’s negativity and discrimination. Lacking healthy adult [role] models, skills and support systems, many conclude that they have no hope of ever becoming happy and productive” (Thompson, 1998, p. 2.). Discriminatory behavior generates an adverse as well as humiliating impact on students, affecting their lives in and out of the classroom. This impact is strong and lasts a lifetime. The facts this paper discusses are, in themselves, a revolting admission of how far we have not come 40 years after tolerance was made a federal law. But what makes the situation even more distasteful is that the very system entrusted with educating and protecting students have abandoned the ideals that decry discrimination and thus the vast majority of children who fit into one or more of these categories, which equals the vast majority of children overall. Works Cited “Hatred in the Hallways: Violence and Discrimination Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Students in U.S. Schools.” Human Rights Watch. New York: Human Rights Watch, 2001. Ippoliti, Pamela. “Youth Who Experience Discrimination Carry Higher Stress Burden.” EurekAlert. September 17, 2002. Thompson Cook, Ann. “Who is Killing Whom?” Issue Paper 1. Washington D.C.: Respect All Youth Project (PFLAG), 1998, p. 2. “Youth Risk Behavior Survey.” Massachusetts Department of Education. Boston: Massachusetts Department of Education, 2000. June 10, 2006 Read More