Diversity in Education

[crschmidt]

Affirmative action has played a large role in many educational institutions across this country: Making way for the less fortunate minorities to be able to participate in educational facilities which they might not otherwise be able to, and bringing diversity into places it might not otherwise be. These goals are applaudable, and although in some cases there have been instances of better students being edged out by less capable students, for the most part, affirmative action has played a positive role in higher education in America, especially from the point of view of minorities helped by these programs. (Note that this is largely hearsay, and if I'm wrong, you can feel free to argue that in comments.)

However, more minorities in a school does not always bring diversity. This is something that I learned recently through hard experience with Alicia's class at Tobin School in Cambridge. The class was almost entirely composed of minorities -- Alicia was the only white female in the class. The social results of this were quite clear to me when I chaperoned a field trip for the class: She was completely excluded. Even when trying to get her and her group together for a picture, it was obvious that she was left out.

There was absolutely no integration program of any kind at the school to try and help Alicia, who had just moved from an almost-entirely white school in New Hampshire, adjust to the new social setting she had gotten into. Apparently such a program used to exist, but was chopped by city administration.

This was my first experience with integration of groups which would regularly be minorities not leading to greater diversity. I never really understood before how someplace could have that happen. It was a very weird experience for me. Growing up in St. Charles, and later in Manchester, I was used to a very very small number of non-majority students in all of my education. Trying to make people understand that Alicia was suffering due to the complete lack of social integration with the rest of the group was hard to do without seeming racist.

I think that it was important for Alicia -- it taught her what it is like to be a minority, to be outside the standard circles that the rest of the people around you are in. This is still something that I've never had to do, however, and I have no idea how I would handle it if i did. I'm glad that she's gotten into someplace that seems much better for her now.

It is very strange that minority integration does not necessarily lead to diversity, but it's definitely true, and something that I never would have realized before moving to Cambridge and seeing it for myself.

Comments

[ursamajor]

This is something that I noticed when I moved out here, and it's very strange to me, but I'm not really sure how to fix it, since it seems to be a lot of willing racial self-segregation. Sure, there may be "integration" in your work or school environment by the percentages, but all it seems to do here is cause the vast majority of people to stick close to the people who look like them. At the same time, I also think classism exacerbates the situation; it's not the overt racism of previous decades, but a more subtle "stick to what you know."

I almost feel a little like I'm betraying my multicultural heritage a little by dating an Asian-American, since I look Asian the most. Which is ridiculous; it's not my inherent responsibility to date across the spectrum to make up for the lack of integration here. But I still feel a little like it is, since there's not a lot of it surrounding me.

[jennifer.livejournal.com]

I've noticed this since moving up here too. It's another one of those funny differences I've noticed between the South and the Northeast. Integration was pushed SO much in the South in the 1960's and 1970's, to an extent that wasn't really done here in New England at all, as far as my limited sociology/race relations studies knowledge goes - at least as far as Caucasian/African-American relations went. And that's kind of a mixed bag, in a way - sure it got the doors open, but there was resentment on both sides of the coin. But it does certainly seem like folks talk to each other a whole lot more and at least interact more there because of it - at least in my experience in public high school.

And here it really is a different thing - it's more as if there was no push to make everyone happy and integrated, and folks kind of stuck to their own neighborhoods and whatnot. It really does seem to be self-segregation in a way.

And I kind of rambled at you and got distracted multiple times making the comment, so I've no idea whether it actually makes sense.

[ice-cream-eyes.livejournal.com]

There is a book on the subject that sounds really good. I haven't picked it up yet, but I plan to - it is called _Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?_

You should check it out. It is an interesting topic and one there are no easy solutions to.

That being said, kids of different backgrounds seem to mix together pretty well here in Revere. But I think that is unusual.