1. Culture and Diversity By: Ashlee Kolles

2. Today’s Diverse Classrooms As future teachers how can we ensure we are creating a welcoming, inclusive environment? Promote equality, encourage cooperative learning, and interdependence between groups Educate students on prejudice, discrimination, oppression, stereotypes Teach students to think critically, to empathize, to recognize moral choices, and to make their voices heard Teach Students to respect differences

3. Class Activity Respecting Differences I think cats make great pets Vanilla ice cream is delicious Red is my favorite color I enjoy watching sports

4. Two Classroom Methods To Reduce Racism, Prejudice, and Student Exclusion Small team method Facing history method http://www.facinghis tory.org- MichelleObamahttp://www.facinghis tory.org- MichelleObama

5. Economic And Social Class Differences Social Class For most, social class means just how much money one has or doesn’t have Education, income, occupation, and wealth (resources, characteristics, or attributes that people “have”) are common criteria for gauging social class Socioeconomic Status Relative standing in the society based on income, power, background, and prestige

6. Poverty And School Achievement By 2010, it is likely that 40% of all American children will live in poverty at some time in their lives (koppelman, 2008) About one in five Americans under the age of 18 lives in poverty. Most success remains linked tightly with a student’s social class status. Contrary to many stereotypes, more poor children live in suburban and rural areas than in central cities

7. Ethnicity and Race in Teaching and Learning By 2020, almost 2/3 of students will be from African American, Asian, Latina/Latino, or other Ethnic groups” (Meece & Kurtz-Costes, 2001) With about 65% of the students in the classroom coming from these ethnic groups, what percentage of the teachers will come from a similar ethnicity?

8. Ethnicity vs. Race – What’s the Difference? Ethnicity- A cultural heritage shared by a group of people. Race- A socially constructed category based on appearances and ancestry.

9. Melting Pot For years, the goal of American schools was to be the fire under the melting pot and get new immigrants to assimilate. The students needed to change – not the schools Educators believed some students to be “culturally deficient” or “culturally disadvantaged” The belief that the student’s home life was inferior because it did not prepare him for education

10. Multiculturalism “Ethnic groups today want to maintain their culture and identity while still being a respected part of the larger society. Multiculturalism is the goal” (p.168). Multiculturalism supports a society that values diversity.

11. Achievement Gap based on race Some ethnic groups consistently achieve below the average for all students (Okagaki, 2006; Uline & Johnson, 2005). Scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress

12. Research indicates 4 main causes of achievement gap The Legacy of Discrimination Cultural Mismatches Language Differences Poverty

13. The Legacy of Discrimination Desegregation of Schools begin 1954- Brown vs. Board Of Education 1969- Alexander vs. Holmes County Board of Education Segregation Today

14. Black and Hispanic students Chosen less often for gifted classes Chosen less often for acceleration or enrichment programs More likely tracked into “basic skills” classes

15. Stereotype Threat an apprehensiveness about confirming a stereotype (Aronson, 2002) Short-term Effects: Test Performance Long-term Effects: Disidentification Combating Stereotype threat: changing the students beliefs “The message is for teachers to help all students see academic achievement as part of their ethnic, racial and gender identity”

16. Impact of Stereotype Threat

17. Cultural Mismatches Schools are designed with the white middle-class student in mind Lim, Jae Hoon (2008) ‘Double Jeopardy: The Compounding Effects of Class and Race in Schools’ Equity & Excellence in Education

18. How do we meet the needs of all students? Create culturally relevant classrooms Students must experience academic success Students must develop/maintain their cultural competence Students must develop a critical consciousness to challenge the status quo

19. Teaching Every Student Know your students Respect your students Teach your students