Debunking the Middle-class Myth: Why diverse schools are good for all kids

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Permalink Reply by JudiElise on February 9, 2009 at 8:00am

I am happy that you chose a school that would create the challenging and engaging environment he needs, but I chafe at when you offer that your child is not ready to "be subjects of our social experiment" or when you equate diversity to living near a public housing project.

I think the statement you make about the curriculum is unwarranted, unless you have examined the curriculum and found it wanting. Have you seen the curriculum for your child's grade? Does it meet the state standards and yours? If you have, and it fell short, then, of course, I applaud your decision. But if it was made without due dilligence, on what did you use to base your decision? As your statements stand, I feel as if you are developing (or exposing) a mindset that borders upon prejudicial thinking.

I realize that when people talk about altering the landscape of our public school system, this can be disconcerting. And sometimes, when these changes are made, this can lead to a lowering of standards in order to meet "Leave No Child Behind" mandates, but this is not always the case. Having the opportunity to learn and, eventually, work in a diverse society is one of the conditions, we, Americans have to work through as the world becomes more and more of a global-interdependent society.

Right now, this is seen as an asset for people entering the workforce today. Colleges teach classes (a required course at some universities) on the subject of culture diversity, because it has become so important to the future of America staying competitive.

I hope your decision turns out well for you and your son. You have started him out ahead of the other children, and perhaps, he will be given the opportunity to join gifted classes as well. But diversity will never take away his abilities nor dull them. Only the lack of opportunity and challenge will.

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Permalink Reply by Dr Patricia Porter on February 9, 2009 at 9:49am

Hi

I fully understand your predicament and know that your child will thrive best in a school environment that you feel happy with. However, as a teacher from an ethnically diverse part of town (there were 29 first languages and dialects in my school when I retired!) I want to defend the diversity perspective.

Yes, when the class is made up of children from diverse backgrounds, it is more challenging for teachers to meet the needs of all children. But this leads to innovative practices and a widening of what may be a restricted 'white' curriculum. But the best benefit that children receive is the awareness of different cultures, their values, beliefs and practices as well as some small sampling of different languages. Children who are taught in 'diversity' classrooms are getting a head start on the skills they will need when they enter the world of work and have to handle not only different standards and beliefs but also different ways of approaching life.

On the whole I think that he gains children get from being in a diverse setting far outweigh any short term deficits that might take place in the curriculum. Your child could read before he went to kindergarten, wonderful, but many children in my school could read and speak two or more languages when they started school. It is just that one of the languages may not have been English!

I remember speaking to a grandmother who was picking up her grandson from class. She was reading a 'Teach yourself English' book and i congratulated her on her efforts to learn a new language saying that her grandson would benefit from her learning. I was surprised when, in her halting English, she shook her head. Concerned that she had not understood I repeated my comment. In reply she held up four fingers and said, Vietnamese, Chinese, French and now English!

How easy it is to underestimate people we do not know.

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Permalink Reply by Kitty Rosu on February 9, 2009 at 11:46am

I have had this conversation too many times to count and it always ends up as the comments are here. There are a lot of emotions from both sides when it comes to asking whether diversity is good or bad for schools.

I don't believe calling names solves any problems, so to suggest that someone is being prejudice for having their own opinion, is out of line.

I do have the experience of having 4 children that were in suburban schools that were not as diverse as well as schools where children were bussed in as far as 45 minutes away from high poverty areas. There is a difference in what is taught and at what pace it is taught.

The Gifted and magnet programs in our area are only available in high poverty schools. They will, of course, try to "woo" those brilliant students to the high poverty schools in an effort to boost the scores that the state will look at. (I have experience and the letters to prove that as well).

I think the system is broken and until Americans can put aside all emotion that comes with this conversation, I don't think the problems in the schools will be solved.

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Permalink Reply by Victoria on February 9, 2009 at 12:33pm

My children both also read before kindergarten and excel in other ways. I made the choice to send my children to diverse schools. My assumptions were that, given the background with which I was able to provide them, they would do well in any setting and that they were intelligent enough to "run and catch up," should they seriously miss anything academic. In addition to their strengths, I wanted to provide them with opportunities for socialization that would more closely match their futures, where they would be working for and with people from various cultures and economic backgrounds. Especially in their early work histories, I made the assumption that they would not get to choose those with whom they worked, and that it was in their best interests to have as broad a range of friends and people skills as possible.

I've been very happy with the results, especially the kind of person each has become. They are tolerant, generous, and broadminded, as well as academically successful. Their friendships cross the spectrum. My oldest is a student leader in her first year at UC Berkeley and my youngest, a high school freshman, is clearly following in her footsteps.

Each person has to make the choices that they feel their family can live with and manage. Other variables, had they existed, might have led me to make other choices. However, under the circumstances, I'm pleased with the one that we made.

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Permalink Reply by Shari on February 9, 2009 at 12:50pm

Thank you for the well-written and thoughtful comments. I'd like to add some details that didn't come through when I posted this item, although it may not make our decision any more popular:

First, our assigned school only had an afternoon Kindergarten option. Our son was turning six not long after entering K and had been coming from a full-day pre-school. We knew how frustrated he would get a Sunday school (only an hour), as he would just start to get involved in an activity when class would (in his perspective) suddenly end. We were worried 2.5 hours of school time would not be enough for him.

The school we chose is not as monoculture as I may have lead you to believe. In fact, it serves part of the same public housing sector and, because of the vast difference in socioeconomic factors for the kids who attend, the parents and school put into place a uniform policy. It has been in place for 13 years and the school continues to be a welcome environment to all of the families served. It is also not the top scoring school in the district, but falls about in the bottom third. What compelled us the most was not the make-up of the faces in the classroom or the numbers on a report, but the involvement by staff and parents at the school. With an enrollment of 400 students, after school functions consistently draw 600+ attendees...the holiday concert filled an 1800 seat auditorium to standing-room only.

In regards to the curriculum, I'll quote the K teacher from our assigned school when we met with her last year, "You're son is reading already? In English? We spend the first year here just trying to teach the kids how to ask to use the bathroom in English!" Perhaps it is not fair for us to make assumptions about what our son's experience at this school might have been like, but I can't say the teacher's comment gave us much confidence.

My comment about the "social experiment" was only meant to illustrate our dilemma. Sometimes my husband and I want to do what feels right for the two of us, but have to remember that the most important factor is what feels right for the kids. Unfortunately, our assigned school is a victim of No Child Left Behind - because it is very difficult for the Annual Yearly Performance standards to be met, their funding is cut year after year. They are made to do more with less and this is what we as parents and members of the community should chafe at. And, this AYP failure gives families the option to move their kids to other, "better performing" schools - one more punishment to the schools who fail. Instead of basing performance on skills that cannot be fairly applied to children of all backgrounds, we have set up these institutions to fail. My main concern that I would be setting my son up to fail, too.

As the daughter of two public school teachers with combined experience of 50+ years of teaching, I really value what our public schools offer. We live in one of the poorest neighborhoods in our town, which makes us freaks among our friends and co-workers who live in the wealthy suburbs. If we didn't like living here and the diversity it brings into our lives, we could move. But, we like sharing the neighborhood with families from around the world. I can only hope that we've found a compromise that will serve our children in school AND our neighborhood.

P.S. In five years, this will be moot, as both schools will be brought together at the same Middle and High Schools.

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Permalink Reply by Anne Marie Goodrich on February 9, 2009 at 3:07pm

My youngest son went to culturally diverse schools, unlike my two older children, and I am so very glad that he had the experience he did. What a richer environment it was for him to make friends with others of different colors, countries and religions. I think when most of these kids get into college, as mine is now, it won't be the curriculum or grades that influenced them nearly as much as the opportunity to experience a tapestry of cultures. One incredible surprise we received - because of so many students leaving our more inner city district, which effected businesses, real estate, etc., some anonymous donors created a scholarship fund so that ALL of our graduating students have full tuition paid for all four years of college at public universities in our state. Here's more information: https://www.kalamazoopromise.com/

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Gniadecki on February 10, 2009 at 7:26am

Are we talking about a racially diverse school or a socioeconomically diverse school?

You have to define diversity or there will be a lot of misunderstanding.

It sounds like in your area the poor are minorities, I'm not sure if that's true, but that's what it sounds like. Where I live our public school is a multiple blue ribbon winner and there are kids from all races there. I don't know what the socioeconomic background of the kids is, but I'm guessing it's middle/working class like we are.

I guess I can't have any kind of reaction because when I read "white bread" I read "white school" - but I'm not sure if that's what you actually mean.

What I do know is that in our working class town most people don't have credit card limits over $300 and buy things with cash, mostly. That's a great lesson for my kids to learn, and one we teach them. The kids at your "white bread" school might be academically sound but a whole bunch of book learning without a lick of common sense won't get you very far in life, either. How many of his classmates get allowance and don't have to do chores or work for it?

You are choosing the values you give your child. As long as you're okay with them, that's fine. But there are downsides to every academic system.

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Permalink Reply by Kate Beem on February 11, 2009 at 9:30am

We live in a gentrified section of our town, but our elementary school draws from many areas that are full of rentals and transient families. We bought our house way before kids and decided to stay because we think the lessons our kids will learn at school by interacting with those who don't look or live the way they do outweigh other considerations.

My attitude is this: I will ensure my kid gets what he or she needs to be successful. We provide enrichment on our own dime: piano lessons, sports, dance, other music lessons, educational family trips. I don't expect the school to provide everything for my children.

And my younger son could read before kindergarten. However, in his class are a couple kids who are repeating, one because he comes from a family who doesn't speak English at home. So my son goes to first grade for reading and some other things, does advanced math with another teacher. But socially, he's being exposed to kids who are far different from himself, his siblings or anyone else in our family. I want that for my kids. I want them to grow up realizing that the world is not full of middle-class white people who can afford private baseball coaching for their kids.

Diversity is good for the middle class. And it raises families to the middle class by exposing lower-income kids to white middle-class kids. How can it not be a good thing in the end?

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Permalink Reply by JudiElise on February 11, 2009 at 9:54am

Shari wrote:

In regards to the curriculum, I'll quote the K teacher from our assigned school when we met with her last year, "You're son is reading already? In English? We spend the first year here just trying to teach the kids how to ask to use the bathroom in English!" Perhaps it is not fair for us to make assumptions about what our son's experience at this school might have been like, but I can't say the teacher's comment gave us much confidence.


I agree with you! That would make me run for the hills as well! You sound like a mother who will ask the important questions.

Shari wrote:

Unfortunately, our assigned school is a victim of No Child Left Behind - because it is very difficult for the Annual Yearly Performance standards to be met, their funding is cut year after year. They are made to do more with less and this is what we as parents and members of the community should chafe at. And, this AYP failure gives families the option to move their kids to other, "better performing" schools - one more punishment to the schools who fail. Instead of basing performance on skills that cannot be fairly applied to children of all backgrounds, we have set up these institutions to fail. My main concern that I would be setting my son up to fail, too.

Again, I agree with you! LNCB Act has not achieved what it was intended to do. My teen spends a great deal of time, learning to pass his HSAs.

Shari wrote:

I can only hope that we've found a compromise that will serve our children in school AND our neighborhood.

I hope and pray so, too. The decisions we have to make today do affect their future. We all try to make the best ones we can.

Shari wrote:

P.S. In five years, this will be moot, as both schools will be brought together at the same Middle and High Schools

This happens in my neck of the woods as well. And the struggle will continue to make sure that he is stimulated and challenged, especially as he grows into a teen. My 16-yr old loves school, just not all the kids who go there.

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Permalink Reply by JudiElise on February 11, 2009 at 10:03am

Kitty wrote:

I don't believe calling names solves any problems, so to suggest that someone is being prejudice for having their own opinion, is out of line.


I am sorry you felt I called anyone a name. I did suggest her thinking was leaning towards it, but after her 2nd post with further clarification, I do see that she was not making any knee-jerk reactionary decisions. I was hoping my post would prove just what it did; that she made the best decisions based on her experience and her circumstances.

Kitty wrote:

I think the system is broken and until Americans can put aside all emotion that comes with this conversation, I don't think the problems in the schools will be solved.

Unfortunately, mothers get very passionate about their children and the education they deserve. I would no more think that our emotions can not be part of this discourse than they would be in a medical situation.

Let us work toward channeling that emotion towards positive discussion, awareness and change.

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Permalink Reply by Sarah Salas on February 12, 2009 at 5:53am

I currently have my son in a kindergarten in a public school that is pretty diverse. While I love that he is exposed to all kinds of people I am constantly frustrated that the curriculum is so far below his abilities. He spent 2 years in pre-school and could read and do basic math before entering kindergarten. I know it is not fair to expect kids with no preschool learning to do what he can do but I feel like he is slipping a little more behind everyday.

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Permalink Reply by JJ Blum on February 12, 2009 at 6:09am

My kids go to a racial and socioeconomically diverse school. Both kids were reading before kindergarten and continue to thrive today. I find the teachers at their school to be compassionate and understanding and more than willing to meet EVERY kid at his or her level.
My neighbor made the choice to switch her kids to a more affluent and less diverse school. While she was initial impressed with the level of involvement of the parents and choices for extra-curricular activities, she has since commented that her kids are not happy. She found the staff cold and not interested in engaging on an emotional level. Also the staff seems more interested in keeping their test scores up than really serving the kids.
On the other side I grew up in a homogeneous community and then my first teaching assignment was a first grade in the middle of a very troubled city. I was blown away. But my class came in to 1st grade reading! any bilingual kids were serviced by the ESOL staff and caught up quickly. were there challenges...YUP! but my kids were wonderful and committed to succeed!
I guess my point is that there are times when schools both public and private thrive regardless of the student population.
Shari, what that Kindergarten teacher said was out of line! If that is the case, she needs to get help from her administration, and you should report that to the principal, superintendent and school board.
Yes we all want to do what is best for our kids, but passing test scores isn't the be all and end all. Don't we also want them to grow up knowing that this country is multi-cultural, multi-faceted, and how to deal with that? I want my kids to succeed academically but more than that I want them to succeed in life as a whole!

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