essay about diversity in classroom

The Benefits of Inclusion and Diversity in the Classroom

It’s been a little more than 60 years since Brown vs. Board of Education, one of the most important Supreme Court cases in the history of the United States. The decision made it illegal to segregate public schools on the basis of race. That cornerstone decision of the civil rights movement has played a major role in breaking down racial barriers in the decades since. It has also enabled social scientists to study how diversity in the classroom leads to students’ increased cultural understanding, stronger critical thinking skills and enhanced creativity, which all better prepare them for adulthood.

The National Education Association reports that 2014 was the first year in which the majority of students in American public schools represented racial and ethnic minorities. In addition, the Southern Education Foundation found that in 2013, a full 51 percent of public school children were from low-income families. While student demographics vary greatly across the country, there is no question that cultural respect and inclusion are values that matter greatly in the modern classroom. Those considering enrolling in a Doctorate in Education (EdD) program should seek out one that emphasizes the importance of inclusion and diversity in the classroom, and the benefits they can provide.

Exploring the Benefits of Classroom Diversity and Inclusion

Diverse schools feature differences in ethnicity, socioeconomic class, religion, reading level, athletic ability, background, gender, personality, and much more. Strong EdD programs teach educators to value the unique aspects of what makes each student different, and helps them embrace those differences in the classroom.

An in-depth research review of dozens of other studies on diversity—conducted by The Century Foundation, a New York-based think tank—found that having different and divergent perspectives can create positive learning outcomes. Those outcomes, explored below, can have benefits that reflect well beyond students’ graduation and can impact their lives going forward.

Diversity Improves Cognitive Skills and Critical Thinking

The presence of diversity in the classroom allows students to consider perspectives and opinions beyond those they’ve already formed or were shaped in early life by family and friends. By presenting students with viewpoints far different from their own, it gives them the opportunity to think critically about their own beliefs and examine the world in fresh ways. As noted by an article in Scientific American, exposure to diversity alters the way individuals think by promoting creativity and innovation, as well as decision-making and problem-solving skills. As the article summarizes, “Diversity jolts us into cognitive action in ways that homogeneity simply does not.”

Exposure to Diversity Helps Students Enter Adulthood

When students enter the professional world, they join a vast and diverse workforce. Interacting with people of all different backgrounds and mindsets can present a challenge without prior exposure to diversity, especially at a younger age. Companies are taking note of their employees’ ability to handle diversity with grace and maturity; 96 percent of major employers, according to the Century Foundation, say it is vital that employees are able to work with people from diverse backgrounds.

Diversity Prepares Students for Citizenship

As part of the Century Foundation’s research study on diversity, the authors reviewed 27 different studies about the effects of diversity on people’s willingness to interact with and improve their local community—a concept known as civic engagement. The study found that experiences with diversity in college do lead to increased civic engagement. This indicates the more involved citizens are with their government and political landscape, and the more educated they become about government processes, the more informed decisions they can make about how they are governed. As the U.S. Department of Education notes, students’ experiences with diversity help mold them into more engaged citizens.

Diversity Promotes Creativity

At its core, creativity is all about bringing together different ideas and transforming them to make something new, unique, and personal. The more ideas and experiences people are exposed to, the more creative they can be. Indeed, Scientific American cites a study conducted by several research professors who found that groups with racial diversity significantly outperformed groups without diversity in a problem-solving scenario. In professional and nonprofessional situations that call for creativity, it is a wise choice to bring together diverse perspectives.

Discover How to Encourage Inclusivity and Diversity as an Educator

As has been discussed, diversity in the classroom has numerous positive benefits for students, but how can educators ensure their pupils are getting the most out of interacting with their diverse peers? Well-trained educators, like those with an EdD, are equipped with the tools to encourage the exchange of ideas and interpersonal understanding. No matter what level of education, elementary school teachers through college professors can all utilize the following strategies to benefit their classrooms.

Learn about Students’ Cultural Backgrounds

Classroom students aren’t the only ones who can benefit from learning about what makes them diverse. According to the NDT Resource Center, an academic source committed to nondestructive evaluation, educators should also get to know their students and what makes them unique, thereby discovering the viewpoint from which they see the world and their personal learning style. For an educator, understanding cultural diversity in the classroom is a crucial part of being able to anticipate where certain lessons might lead, or any issues that might arise between students of different backgrounds. Educators can establish a tone of inclusion, emphasizing that all perspectives are valuable.

Create a Culturally Responsive Learning Environment

An educator who properly creates a culturally responsive environment will have fostered a classroom where students become respectful and understanding of cultures different from their own. Those students are typically more willing to listen respectfully to different viewpoints, rather than mock, scorn, or fear the unfamiliar. The best way for educators to achieve this, according to The Edvocate, is to teach students that people who do not look the same as them—or who come from different socioeconomic backgrounds, follow different religious traditions, speak different languages, or have a different sexual orientation or gender identity—are still just the same as them on the inside.

Allow Students to Learn about Their Community

Learning about one’s own culture is just as important as learning about others when it comes to developing cultural understanding among students. Educators with a strong teaching background such as an EdD can facilitate projects for their students that encourage them to get to know their own history. The NDT Resource Center suggests activities such as visiting community landmarks of importance to their culture, and interviewing important members of their community. Students can then be given the opportunity to share what they discover with their classmates.

Establish a Zero-Indifference Negative Behavior Policy

In recent years, schools have enacted zero-tolerance policies in an attempt to curb bullying, harassment, and intimidation. However, the tide is now shifting toward zero-indifference policies instead, according to GLSEN. Zero-indifference is an alternative that promotes safety in schools by consistently and firmly addressing disrespectful behavior. Unlike zero-tolerance, in which a first offense results in punishments as harsh as suspension or expulsion, zero-indifference allows the teacher to use culturally insensitive moments as opportunities for learning and understanding. The Tolerance.org project of the Southern Poverty Law Center recommends zero-indifference policies when it comes to addressing bullying and harassment, as does the Anti-Defamation League; the American Civil Liberties Union; the Respect for All Project; and the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network—according to research by Jacqueline Leung on the Oregon Commission on Black Affairs.

Learn How to Foster Cultural Diversity in the Classroom

Teachers who wish to be at the forefront of their profession should have a strong foundation in understanding diversity and how to create an environment of inclusion in the classroom. To accomplish this, educators would do well to explore an award-winning education program, such as American University’s online Doctorate of Education . The curriculum is designed to provide educators with the tools and understanding to adapt to any classroom, regardless of its diverse student makeup—and to ultimately foster a wider appreciation of our human differences.

Education Week, “Six Ways Teachers Can Foster Cultural Awareness in the Classroom”

Leung, Jacqueline, “Reforming School Discipline for Equity and Excellence in Oregon: Recommendations for Policy and Practice”

National Education Association, “Diverse Student Populations Are in the Classroom”

Scientific American, “How Diversity Makes us Smarter”

The Century Foundation, “How Racially Diverse Schools and Classrooms Can Benefit All Students”

The Edvocate, “Ways to Promote Diverse Cultures in the Classroom”

Tolerance.org, “Critical Practices for Anti-Bias Education”

Request Information

Center for Teaching

Increasing inclusivity in the classroom.

The goals of this teaching guide are threefold: 1) to discuss the importance of inclusivity in the classroom, 2) to present examples of teaching more inclusively, and 3) to provide additional resources for further guidance.

Why is inclusivity important?

What does inclusivity look like, reducing stereotype threat, additional resources at vanderbilt.

Drawing from the literature on inclusive teaching in higher education, the current section considers the importance of increasing inclusivity and is framed by two overarching issues. The first issue is that of student belonging in their classrooms and in the broader campus culture. Most students struggle to transition into college, but students of less privileged and more marginal backgrounds face even greater challenges as they enter what they can perceive to be an unwelcoming or even hostile environment (Carter, Locks, Winkle-Wagner, & Pineda, 2006; Kalsner & Pistole, 2003). To help students overcome challenges integrating into college life, teachers can work to cultivate a sense of belonging among their students. Section Two of this teaching guide provides resources for teachers to increase the sense of belonging in their classrooms.

At the institutional level, increasing a sense of belonging among students is embodied in the following four goals, as derived from a review of inclusion statements across campuses (Hurtado 2003, in Locks, Hurtado, Bowman, & Oseguera, 2008 p. 279):

• Ensuring that students of underrepresented populations have the support they need to be academically successful.
• Building relationships and developing multicultural skills with members from diverse backgrounds.
• Enhancing students’ ability to participate in a pluralistic, interdependent global community.
• Increasing the participation of students of color in campus life.

Studies repeatedly find that positive diverse interactions increase students’ sense of belonging on campuses (e.g., Locks, Hurtado, Bowman, & Oseguera, 2008). Conversely, interactions that result in feelings of social anxiety and fear decrease a sense of belonging. Accordingly, student cultures that foster positive diversity experiences help students – all students – feel like they are a valued part of a campus community.

The second theme of inclusivity is stereotype threat, which refers to the fear of confirming a negative stereotype about their respective in-group, a fear that can create high cognitive load and reduce academic focus and performance (Steele & Aronson, 1995). The effects of stereotype threat are profound and can impact students from a variety of backgrounds.  Multiple studies have found that stereotype threat significantly reduces performance for undergraduates from less privileged socioeconomic statuses (Croizet & Claire, 1998; Spencer & Castano, 2007), African American students  (Steele & Aronson, 1995), women in math and science courses (Good, Aronson, & Harder, 2008), as well as Latino (Schmader & Johns, 2003) and LGBT students at traditionally religious institutions (Love, 1998). Stereotype threat is especially detrimental for individuals who identify strongly with the stigmatized group (Marx, Stapel, & Muller, 2005). Identifying and eliminating stereotype threat should be a central goal for teachers who want to increase inclusivity in the classroom. Sections Two and Three describe specific examples and strategies to increase the sense of belonging in the classroom as well as to reduce stereotype threat.

When instructors attempt to create safe, inclusive classrooms, they should consider multiple factors, including the syllabus, course content, class preparation, their own behavior, and their knowledge of students’ backgrounds and skills. The resources in this section offer concrete strategies to address these factors and improve the learning climate for all students.

• Creating Inclusive College Classrooms : An article from the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching at the University of Michigan which addresses five aspects of teaching that influence the inclusivity of a classroom: 1) the course content, 2) the teacher’s assumptions and awareness of multicultural issues in classroom situations, 3) the planning of course sessions, 4) the teacher’s knowledge of students’ backgrounds, and 5) the teacher’s choices, comments and behaviors while teaching.
• Teaching for Inclusion: Diversity in the College Classroom: Written and designed by the staff of the Center for Teaching and Learning at UNC, Chapel Hill, this book offers a range of strategies, including quotes from students representing a range of minority groups.
• Managing Hot Moments in the Classroom , from the Derek Bok Center at Harvard University, describes how to turn difficult discussions into learning opportunities.

The  Faculty Teaching Excellence Program (FTEP) at the University of Colorado has compiled a series of faculty essays on diversity in  On Diversity in Teaching and Learning: A Compendium . This publication is available for download (as a PDF file) from the  FTEP website (scroll down towards the bottom of the page for the download links). The essays in this volume include, among others:

• Fostering Diversity in the Classroom: Teaching by Discussion: Ron Billingsley (English) offers 14 practical suggestions for teaching discussion courses (with 15-20 students) and creating an atmosphere in the classroom that embraces diversity.
• Fostering Diversity in a Medium-Sized Classroom: Brenda Allen (Communications) outlines seven ways to create an interactive environment in larger classes (with 80-100 students) and thus promote diversity in the classroom.
• Developing and Teaching an Inclusive Curriculum: Deborah Flick (Women Studies) uses the scholarship of Peggy McIntosh and Patricia Hill Collins to support a useful syllabus checklist and teaching tips that include techniques to provoke discussion about privilege and stereotypes among students.
• The Influence of Attitudes, Feelings and Behavior Toward Diversity on Teaching and Learning: Lerita Coleman (Psychology) encourages instructors to examine their own identity development and self-concept to determine how they feel diversity and bias affect their teaching. She also shares 14 specific teaching tips.

Steve Stroessner (Columbia) and Catherine Good (Baruch College) provide guidelines and concrete strategies to reduce stereotype threat in the classroom. Their work can be found here . These psychologists classify strategies to reduce stereotype threat into the following categories:

Reframe the task This portion of the website describes ways that teachers can reduce stereotype threat by acknowledging the steps that they have taken to make a task or test fair for stereotyped groups.

Deemphasize threatened social identities This activity encourages test givers to modify questions that might make stereotyped groups recall their stigmatized identity while they are performing a graded task. The modifications can include moving identity questions to the end of the test or asking questions that highlight students’ valued identities to empower students to perform well.

Encourage self-affirmation Repeatedly, studies suggest that self-affirmation – where students think about their valued characteristics, skills etc. – leads to increased performance. This section of the website presents evidence and examples of self-affirmation activities.

Provide role models Positive role models, who perform well in fields that typically invoke stereotype threat, can increase otherwise poor performance for stigmatized groups.

Provide external attributions for difficulty Help students attribute their anxieties to causes other than stereotype to lessen anxiety for students who would normally suffer from stereotype threat. For example, some studies posited that instructors reduced poor performance by suggesting that anxiety might actually help with test taking, without connecting the anxiety to any stereotype.

Emphasize an incremental view of intelligence This portion of the website suggests that instructors should assist students to overcome fixed notions of intelligence. When notions of genius or inherent talent were downplayed, stereotype threat was greatly reduced.

University Programs and Centers

• Antoinette Brown Lectures – Vanderbilt University Divinity School Established in 1974, this lectureship brings distinguished women theologians and church leaders to the Divinity School to speak on a variety of concerns for women in ministry.
• Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center This center, dedicated in 1984, provides educational and cultural programming on the Black experience for the University and Nashville communities, and serves as a support resource for African-descended students. The center’s programs are open to the Vanderbilt and Nashville communities.
• Carpenter Program in Religion, Gender and Sexuality Established in 1995, this program fosters conversation about religion, gender, and sexuality by providing education and encouraging communication within and across religious affiliations, ideological bases, and cultural contexts. The program facilitates courses of study, workshops, lectures, and provides consultation and information services. Their website includes news items on gender, religion, and sexuality, as well as a list of syllabi, papers and student projects.
• Office for Diversity in Medical Education This office administers an active recruitment program that involves visits by students and staff to other campuses; encourages contacts between applicants and matriculating students; and arranges visits to the Vanderbilt campus for newly accepted under- represented minority applicants. This site also links to related programs fostering diversity at the School of Medicine, such as the  Vanderbilt Bridges Program and the Meharry – Vanderbilt Alliance .
• The LGBTQI Resource Office provides information about a variety of organizations that serve the needs of gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender undergraduates, graduates, faculty, and staff.
• Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center Providing activities on women, gender equity, and feminism through lectures, This center sponsors campus workshops and special events. These programs are open to students, faculty and staff, as well as interested members of the local community. The center’s 2000-volume library houses the only collection on campus devoted to gender and feminism, and is available for reference, research and general reading.
• Vanderbilt launched new Title IX and Student Discrimination , Student Access Services and Equal Employment Opportunity offices to serve students, faculty and staff Jan 15, 2018. The mission of these coordinated offices is to take a proactive stance in assisting the University with the interpretation, understanding, and application of federal and state laws and regulations which impose special obligations in the areas of equal opportunity and affirmative action.
• Project Dialogue Project Dialogue is a year-long, University-wide program to involve the entire Vanderbilt community in public debate and discussion, and to connect classroom learning with larger societal issues. Project Dialogue has been run every other year since 1989, each year centering on a particular theme. Recent speakers have included Naomi Wolf, Cornel West, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Oliver Sacks, and Barbara Ehrenreich.
• Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities The Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities promotes interdisciplinary research and study in the humanities and social sciences, and, when appropriate, the natural sciences. The center’s programs are designed to intensify and increase interdisciplinary discussion of academic, social, and cultural issues. Recent and upcoming fellows program themes include: “Memory, Identity, and Political Action,” “Constructions, Deconstructions, and Destructions in Nature,” and “Gender, Sexuality, and Cultural Politics.” Lectures, conferences, and special programs include: Race and Wealth Disparity in 21st Century America, a Gender and Sexuality Lecture Series, Rethinking the Americas: Crossing Borders and Disciplines, Diversity in Learning/ Learning and Diversity, Feminist Dialogues, and the Social Construction of the Body.
• The Office of the University Chaplain This office offers programs to students to help them understand their own faith and the faith of others, clarify their values, and develop a sense of social responsibility. The office also provides leadership for Project Dialogue, as well as the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Series and the Holocaust Lecture Series.

International Services and Programs

• English Language Center This center is a teaching institute offering noncredit English language courses for speakers of other languages. The center provides English instruction to learners at all levels of proficiency to enable them to achieve their academic, professional, and social goals.
• International Student and Scholar Services This office offers programs and services to assist international students and scholars across the university.

Student Offices and Programs

• Office of Leadership Development and Intercultural Affairs – Dean of Students This office initiates, develops, and implements multicultural education in the areas of policies, services, and programs for the entire student body.
• International Student Organizations Lists information on organizations sponsoring programs and offering support systems for international students at Vanderbilt.
• Religious Student Organizations Lists information on a range of fellowship and worship services provided by Vanderbilt’s diverse religious community.
• Representative Student Organizations Lists information on a range of additional student groups, such as the Asian-American Student Association, Black Student Alliance, etc.

Outreach Programs

• Girls and Science Camp This camp was established at Vanderbilt University in the summer of 1999 in response to the gender differences in science achievement found in high school. Its goals are to engage girls in science activities, to foster confidence in science achievement, and to encourage girls’ enrollment in high school science courses.

Carter, D. F., Locks, A. M., Winkle-Wagner, R., & Pineda, D. (2006, April). “ From when and where I enter”: Theoretical and empirical considerations of minority students’ transition to college. Paper presented at American Educational Research Association annual meeting, San Francisco.

Croizet, J. C., & Claire, T. (1998). Extending the concept of stereotype threat to social class: The intellectual underperformance of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 24 , 588–594.

Good, C., Aronson, J., & Harder, J. (2008). Problems in the pipeline. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 29 , 17–28.

Kalsner, L., & Pistole, M. C. (2003). College adjustment in a multiethnic sample: Attachment, separation-individuation, and ethnic identity. Journal of College Student Development, 44(1), 92–109.

Locks, A.M., Hurtado, S., Bowman, N.A., & Oseguera, L. (2008). Extending notions of campus climate and diversity to students’ transition to college. Review of Higher Education, 31, 257-285.

Love, P. G.(1998). Cultural barriers facing lesbian, gay, and bisexual students at a catholic college . Journal of Higher Education, 69, 298–323.

Marx, D.M., Stapel D.A, & Muller, D. (2005). We can do it: The interplay of construal orientation and social comparisons under threat. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 88, 432–446

Schmader, T., & Johns, M. (2003). Converging evidence that stereotype threat reduces working memory capacity. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 85, 440-452.

Spencer, B., & Castano, E. (2007). Social class is dead. Long live social class! Stereotype threat among low socioeconomic status individuals. Social Justice Research, 20, 418 – 432.

Steele, C.M., & Aronson. J. (1995). Stereotype threat and the intellectual test performance of African Americans. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69 , 797–811.

Teaching Guides

• Online Course Development Resources
• Principles & Frameworks
• Pedagogies & Strategies
• Reflecting & Assessing
• Challenges & Opportunities
• Populations & Contexts

Quick Links

• Services for Departments and Schools
• Examples of Online Instructional Modules

• Our Mission

A Classroom Where Everyone Feels Welcome

Six strategies for building the strong relationships with students that are the heart of a culturally inclusive classroom community.

In the United States, students spend the majority of their day in the care of adults who are not their parent or guardian. Those school-based adults assume the responsibility of caregiver for children who are not their own. The cultural upbringing of the teachers and the cultural upbringing of the students form an intersection that is critical to the academic success of the students and the professional success of the adults.

It’s imperative that students and teachers know each other beyond the subjective cultural experiences that each may bring to the classroom, and that educators possess an understanding of diverse cultures but not stereotype people into a one-size-fits-all cultural mold. Students need to be related to as full, complex, multidimensional people.

To achieve this desired objective, school leaders and classroom teachers should view their school or classroom spaces as culturally inclusive classroom communities where everyone is welcome.

Fostering a Sense of Inclusion in the Classroom

When we talk about the dynamics of creating a culturally inclusive classroom community, the typical focus is on the diversity of the students in the room or school building. All too often the culture and diversity of the adults are on the periphery. But in order to navigate the intersection of student and adult cultural diversity, we must first acknowledge and understand our adult beliefs and practices.

This thinking requires educators to be willing to explore and analyze our own history and its effects on our behavior. First we must consider our historical and current living situations and conditions. When we examine our childhood, young adult, and present-day lives, we examine how our experiences influence us today and how they might have an effect on our work with children and families who have vastly different experiences.

While culture refers to a collective worldview, schools as culturally inclusive communities must relate to individual students first in addressing the distinct needs of the students who make up the those communities. I’ve used several relationship-building approaches that I feel could help educators and students successfully navigate the cultural intersection of the school community.

1. Learn your students’ names and learn to pronounce them. Our names are our identities. Students feel valued and acknowledged when teachers and other school-related adults take the time to learn their names.

Name recognition is so personal that mobile assistance programs like Siri for the iPhone have a pronunciation feature so that the device can correctly pronounce the name of the owner. If mobile technology can recognize the importance of name recognition, it seems that the same can be said for the classroom community.

Intentionally mispronouncing someone’s name is a passive-aggressive form of disrespect.

2. Set aside time for relationship housekeeping. Teachers can set aside a short time each class period for students to ask questions, share brief short stories of their lives, and just check in and transition into the new class period, or the second half of the day for elementary students.

As humans we are relational. Children and adults desire a connection with those they trust.

3. Have one-on-one conversations, discussions, and informal meetings with students. Remember: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. These conversations should occur early in the year and routinely during the year. Don’t wait until there’s a problem or the student is in trouble to talk with him or her.

4. Connect with parents. Conferences, phone calls, and brief emails are ways to bond with parents or guardians. These interactions should start early, prior to any problems that may occur, and they should be used simply as a means of getting to know your students and their families.

5. See yourself as the students see you. What type of facial expressions do students see? What does your body language tell them about how comfortable you are around them? What tone of voice do you use to show your students that you respect them as individuals? What biases and perceptions do the students have of you based on how you look, dress, and talk?

Let your students get to know you. Do they know your favorite color? Do they know your pet peeves? Do they know what you like to do for fun? In any relationship, both people come to know each other—a teacher-student relationship is no exception.

6. Know your content. Students want teachers who are well versed in their content. Teachers should be able to demonstrate their content knowledge by anticipating student misconceptions and have the ability to explain the content in a variety of ways.

To create culturally inclusive classroom communities, both teachers and students build relationships with each other. Students are motivated by teachers they respect. Teachers show genuine care and concern for students by holding them accountable and by acknowledging their good work. And teachers who show that they care are more successful in reaching students.

An elementary-school-age student may not be able to articulate his or her specific needs as they relate to learning and safety. However, student behavior may indicate which path the teacher should take to address what is in the student’s best interest. So the student is the navigator and the teacher is the driver at this cultural crossroad.

Search form

• About Faculty Development and Support
• Programs and Funding Opportunities

Consultations, Observations, and Services

• Strategic Resources & Digital Publications
• Canvas @ Yale Support
• Learning Environments @ Yale
• Teaching Workshops
• Teaching Consultations and Classroom Observations
• Teaching Programs
• Spring Teaching Forum
• Written and Oral Communication Workshops and Panels
• Writing Resources & Tutorials
• About the Graduate Writing Laboratory
• Writing and Public Speaking Consultations
• Writing Workshops and Panels
• Writing Peer-Review Groups
• Writing Retreats and All Writes
• Online Writing Resources for Graduate Students
• About Teaching Development for Graduate and Professional School Students
• Teaching Programs and Grants
• Teaching Forums
• Resources for Graduate Student Teachers
• About Undergraduate Writing and Tutoring
• Academic Strategies Program
• The Writing Center
• STEM Tutoring & Programs
• Humanities & Social Sciences
• Center for Language Study
• Online Course Catalog
• Antiracist Pedagogy
• NECQL 2019: NorthEast Consortium for Quantitative Literacy XXII Meeting
• STEMinar Series
• Teaching in Context: Troubling Times
• Helmsley Postdoctoral Teaching Scholars
• Pedagogical Partners
• Instructional Materials
• Evaluation & Research
• STEM Education Job Opportunities
• Yale Connect
• Online Education Legal Statements

You are here

Diversity in the classroom.

Promoting diversity is a goal shared by many in American colleges and universities, but actually achieving this goal in the day-to-day classroom is often hard to do. The goal of this teaching module is to highlight a few of the key challenges and concerns in promoting diversity, and illustrate ways to incorporate an understanding of diversity in the classroom and beyond.

Diversity is a term that can have many different meanings depending on context. This module will not offer a comprehensive definition of the term, instead, this module will highlight two key areas related to diversity:

• Identify how diversity affects the classroom
• Provide practical tips for promoting an inclusive classroom

How Diversity Affects the Classroom

Much discussion about diversity focuses on the following forms of marginalization: race, class, gender, and sexual orientation — and rightfully so, given the importance of these forms of difference. In fact, students come to the university classroom with different backgrounds, sets of experiences, cultural contexts, and world views.

Additionally, issues of diversity play a role in how students and teachers view the importance of the classroom and what should happen there. For example, assumptions about what a typical student should know, the resources they have and their prior knowledge are extremely important.

Students may perceive that they do not “belong” in the classroom setting — a feeling that can lead to decreased participation, feelings of inadequacy, and other distractions. Teachers may make flawed assumptions of students’ capabilities or assume a uniform standard of student performance. Teachers may themselves feel out of place based on their own ascriptive traits (i.e. differences based on class, privilege, etc.).

Identifying and thinking through notions of difference and how they affect the classroom allow both students and teachers to see the classroom as an inclusive place. 

Practical Tips for Promoting an Inclusive Classroom

While many discussions concerning diversity focus on talking about the importance of diversity and recognizing difference, it is equally important to move to the next step: incorporating specific tips for addressing differences and how they play out.

One way to form strategies for promoting an inclusive classroom is to use self-reflection and think of potential classroom scenarios and how one might address them. The solutions to such scenarios are ones that each teacher should consider for him- or herself, since there are no immediate right or wrong answers.

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

Reserve a Room

The Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning partners with departments and groups on-campus throughout the year to share its space. Please review the reservation form and submit a request.

The Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning routinely supports members of the Yale community with individual instructional consultations and classroom observations.

Instructional Enhancement Fund

The Instructional Enhancement Fund (IEF) awards grants of up to $500 to support the timely integration of new learning activities into an existing undergraduate or graduate course. All Yale instructors of record, including tenured and tenure-track faculty, clinical instructional faculty, lecturers, lectors, and part-time acting instructors (PTAIs), are eligible to apply. Award decisions are typically provided within two weeks to help instructors implement ideas for the current semester.

Multicultural Diversity and Performance in the Classroom Essay

Issues around cultural diversity in classroom, the concept of multiculturalism in australia, political and social climate influence on students’ achievements, culturally competent and multicultural education.

Diversity in a classroom can be a rewarding experience for students, as it could increase their awareness of other cultures and teach them how to collaborate with people from different backgrounds. However, diversity can also be challenging for teachers because it requires them to use an informed approach to developing a positive and inclusive classroom environment and adjust the lessons to the needs of all students. When I was in school, there were a lot of students in my class who came from different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. For example, we had two students from immigrant families whose first language was not English, as well as several Indigenous students. We also had children from different socio-economic backgrounds, including those from low-income families. As the majority of the students were white and from middle-class families, students from other backgrounds were seen as different and sometimes struggled to communicate or blend in with the rest of the class.

Unfortunately, my school did not address these students’ differences in any formal way. However, some teachers attempted to facilitate communication with students from immigrant families by engaging them in discussion and encouraging them to develop their English skills. This was particularly helpful for one of the students, who had the opportunity to improve her English skills. Others, however, were shy to participate in the conversation and made little progress with their language skills. My classmates did not try to address the cultural, socio-economic, and linguistic differences, which led to students forming several different small groups. There was also a problem of bullying in my school, and students from diverse backgrounds were often targeted by bullies.

Thus, I believe that my school and teachers did not address classroom diversity appropriately. I think it would be more practical if the school has taken action against the bullying of students from minority groups and taught students about cultural diversity and communicating with people from various backgrounds. Providing English lessons for students from immigrant families would also help to promote communication. Finally, I believe that the school could offer extra-curricular activities aimed at improving children’s awareness of other cultures. This could assist in addressing barriers to communication and facilitate a sense of community while also teaching students to respect those who are different in any way.

Overall, if I had to teach a class that has students from diverse backgrounds, I would aim to ensure that all students get equal opportunities to learn. To do that, I would partner with children from all backgrounds and their parents to develop a suitable curriculum. I would also apply teaching methods that promote discussion in the classroom, which would help to engage students from different cultural, linguistic, and socio-economic backgrounds. I would also partner with school leaders to develop and implement an effective strategy for preventing bullying and promoting cultural awareness in all students through extra-curricular events and activities.

The first topic of the class explored the concept of multiculturalism as it applies to Australia. In particular, the readings focused on political approaches to multiculturalism, as well as on its integration in schools. For instance, Jupp (2002) described some of the criticism of multiculturalism. According to Jupp (2002), multiculturalism raised several issues with the Indigenous peoples, as they were perceived as distinct from other minority cultural groups. Multiculturalism was considered to be an alternative to cultural assimilation, which threatened the identity of Aboriginal people. However, it was also seen as a divisive policy contradicting the notion of ‘one Australia’.

A similar discussion is evident in the second reading, as it discusses the application of multiculturalism to education. Smolicz (1999) raises the issue of dominant versus minority groups, arguing that most approaches to politics and education in these settings lead to cultural reductionism. Another problem with cultural assimilation that is noted by the author is that it does not lead to equal treatment. Smolicz (1999) argues that educational programs promoting multiculturalism should incorporate minority ethnic content into the curriculum. Thus, the chapter shows the necessity of integrating minority cultures into teaching.

Hill and Alan (2004) also describe the relationship between political movements and education in Australia. The authors consider the conflict between cultural assimilation in education and preserving Indigenous identity. Leeman and Reid (2006) reflect on the essence of multicultural education in Australia, showing how it aims to promote cultural assimilation by reducing social exclusion and fostering communication among the students. The article also notes that preserving the Indigenous culture is critical, as the loss of culture can have a profound effect on the youth.

My plan of addressing cultural diversity in the classroom appears to be similar to the approach promoted in multicultural education. However, the readings show that this approach is not always correct. For example, helping students to learn the English language could affect their cultural values and heritage, as culture and language are tightly connected (Smolicz, 1999). My plan would also promote cultural assimilation, which can have a negative influence on the students and their identity. Particularly in the case of Indigenous populations, cultural assimilation does not help to resolve the problems experienced by minority groups (Smolicz, 1999). While various events can help to improve cultural awareness among students and reduce tension between dominant and minority groups, it does not integrate minority cultures into the curriculum. Thus, I can see that my approach is rather one-sided and does not target the cultural needs of minority students.

Based on the readings for Topic 1, I would make some corrections to my approach. First of all, it would be critical to include education about minority cultures in the curriculum. For instance, when studying a topic, it would be beneficial to consider it from the viewpoint of the dominant culture, as well as the minority groups. This strategy would help to engage minority students in the discussion while taking into account their cultural heritage. Secondly, I would also consider additive bilingualism as a strategy for addressing multiculturalism (Smolicz, 1999). Given the importance of language to cultural heritage, it would be beneficial to provide students from minority cultural groups with the opportunity to learn their native language in the same way as they are learning English. This strategy would require a commitment from the school and its leaders, but it could be a helpful solution. Lastly, while I believe that extra-curricular events for promoting cultural awareness are useful, it is also essential to address the minority groups’ needs for cultural separatism. Introducing extra-curricular activities for students of specific minority groups would enable them to retain their cultural identity.

The readings for Topic 2 explored the impact of the political and social climate on students’ achievement. For example, Cummins (1997) shows that the coercive and collaborative relations of power impact both the educator role definitions and educational structures, thus affecting the interactions between teachers and students and students’ engagement in learning. While coercive relations of power reinforce the relationship between the dominant and the subordinate group, collaborative relations promote empowerment and communication across the boundaries. Delpit (1988) also considers the influence of power structures on learning in culturally diverse classrooms. The author shows how interrelations of power affect students’ learning, explaining how teachers can target oppressive power structures within their classrooms to promote a safe learning environment.

Other authors also consider students’ academic achievement as a result of the roles reinforced by dominant cultural groups. For example, Fordham and Ogbu (1986) state that the problem of underachievement of black students arose as part of cultural stereotypes created by the dominant white culture, which deemed black people less intellectually capable. As a result, academic achievement is often seen as white people’s prerogative, and black Americans began to discourage their peers from “acting white” and striving for academic success (Fordham & Ogbu, 1986). The authors thus show that the problem of academic achievement is rooted in stereotypes that were enforced by the dominant culture.

Kohl (2007) offers another viewpoint on students’ lack of academic achievement, arguing that non-learning is a choice stemming from the desire to avoid oppression, racism, and similar challenges. For instance, students from cultural or ethnic minorities might find the majority of textbooks racist and thus refuse to study the material presented in it. The author explains that the best strategy, in this case, is to teach the students how to acknowledge, question, and confront oppression in all settings instead of avoiding it. Finally, Mansouri and Trembath (2005) also highlight the role of the political climate in the minority students’ classroom achievement. The article shows how educators should seek to challenge social inequality experienced by minority groups, thus engaging in a dialogue with students and parents.

After reading the materials for this topic, it became clear that I did not address underachievement and academic struggles as part of my plan for promoting cultural diversity. I believe that this was mainly because I did not acknowledge the effect that social inequality has on students and their academic life. The articles on this topic showed that students from minority groups are often less likely to succeed academically, and their learning is affected by external social and political forces. In particular, I found Cummins’ (1997) discussion of influences useful in explaining minority students’ attitudes towards learning. However, it is also important that all of the articles highlighted the teacher’s role in mediating the relationship between coercive power relations and academic achievement.

Therefore, based on the readings, it would be essential to expand my plan for addressing cultural diversity. In particular, it is critical to establish a collaborative relationship with all students, thus empowering them to achieve academic success. The knowledge of this topic would also help address underachieving students. As an educator, I should allow students to challenge the information presented in textbooks and other readings so that they would learn how to acknowledge and question oppressive systems in real life. Additionally, it would be useful to offer students and parents additional resources for improving achievement. For example, if the student is struggling despite the efforts to address the problem, they could benefit from a minority-friendly psychologist, who would help them to improve motivation.

The materials for Topic 3 review strategies for culturally competent and multicultural education. Grant and Sleeter (2003) offer a questionnaire that can be used by teachers to examine the extent to which a classroom or a school is accommodating to the needs of students from minority groups. The assessment considers a variety of learning components, from visuals in presentations to staff resources. Additionally, the questionnaire examines gender equality in education, which is also relevant to the topic of classroom diversity. Based on this activity, educators can determine the gaps in their approach to diversity. Ladson-Billings (1995) reflect on the components of culturally relevant teaching, drawing a link between cultural competence and academic success. In particular, the author argues that teachers should use students’ culture as a “vehicle for learning” (p. 161). The article also suggests some useful strategies for teaching in culturally diverse classrooms, including parent involvement, promoting sociopolitical consciousness, and fostering a collaborative relationship with students.

Other authors stress the importance of comprehensive multicultural education in their texts. For instance, Nieto and Bode (2008) define multicultural education as “a process of comprehensive school reform and basic education for all students” (p. 44). They also describe seven critical features of multicultural education, which can be used by teachers to apply multiculturalism in their classrooms. Pearce (2005) explains some of the main mistakes made by teachers in culturally diverse classrooms, which include avoiding differences and racism. According to the author, teachers should provide a safe environment for critical, cross-cultural discussions to promote diversity. Lastly, Burridge, Buchanan, and Chodkiewicz (2009) offer comprehensive strategies for teachers to respond to cultural diversity. The authors state that teachers should counter racism, promote representations of cultural diversity, and encourage cultural exchange throughout schools.

Overall, the resources for Topic 3 provided useful insights into creating a practical approach to cultural diversity. Looking at the initial essay, I understand that my plan for addressing cultural diversity was somewhat relevant, but not comprehensive. For instance, in terms of school policies, it only considered anti-bullying efforts. However, as shown by Grant and Sleeter (2003), schools are also involved in establishing an inclusive environment for all students. To develop my plan further, I would focus on changes on the school level. For example, it is essential to ensure that the plan for selecting study materials includes the criteria for multicultural education and that the school library reflects cultural and language diversity (Grant & Sleeter, 2003). Special events hosted by the school should also consider diversity and should be relevant to students from all cultural, racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds.

Another essential addition to my plan would be a collaboration with parents in all aspects of learning. Ladson-Billings (1995) note that families are often a valuable cultural resource for young students, and thus involving parents in various events and discussing learning goals with them could improve the school’s approach to cultural diversity. For instance, when planning events for students, I could consult with parents about the aspects of their culture that could be reflected in the event.

Furthermore, the resources also provided a useful framework for resolving diversity-related problems in class, such as cultural differences, racism, and more. As a teacher, I should be active in responding to these problems instead of avoiding them. For example, taking note of cultural differences among the students and challenging racist views or expressions are meaningful strategies for addressing diversity-related issues. In general, all of the approaches explained in the materials for this topic could be successfully incorporated in an Australian classroom. Moreover, these strategies could complement the ones developed after reading the articles for previous topics, thus forming a comprehensive plan for approaching diversity.

Burridge, N., Buchanan, J. D., & Chodkiewicz, A. K. (2009). Dealing with difference: Building culturally responsive classrooms. Cosmopolitan Civil Societies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 1 (3), 68-83.

Cummins, J. (1997). Minority status and schooling in Canada. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 28 (3), 411-430.

Delpit, L. (1988). The silenced dialogue: Power and pedagogy in educating other people’s children. Harvard Educational Review, 58 (3), 280-299.

Fordham, S., & Ogbu, J. U. (1986). Black students’ school success: Coping with the “burden of ‘acting white’”. The Urban Review, 18 (3), 176-206.

Grant, C. A., & Sleeter, C. (2003). Action research activity 5.2: Classroom and school assessment. In C. A. Grant & C. Sleeter (Eds.), Turning on learning: Five approaches for multicultural teaching plans for race, class, gender, and disability (pp. 213-215). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.

Hill, B., & Allan, R. (2004). Multicultural education in Australia. In J. Banks & C. A. McGee Banks (Eds.), Handbook of research on multicultural education (2nd ed., pp. 979-996). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Jupp, J. (2002). The attack on multiculturalism. In J. Jupp (Ed.), From white Australia to Woomera: The story of Australian immigration (pp. 105-122). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Kohl, H. (2007). ‘I won’t learn from you!’: Confronting student resistance. In W. Au, B. Bigelow & S. Karp (Eds.), Rethinking our classrooms: Teaching for equality and justice (vol. 1, pp. 165-166). Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools Ltd.

Ladson‐Billings, G. (1995). But that’s just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant pedagogy. Theory into Practice, 34(3), 159-165.

Leeman, Y., & Reid, C. (2006). Multi/intercultural education in Australia and the Netherlands. Compare A Journal of Comparative and International Education , 36 (1), 57-72.

Mansouri, F., & Trembath, A. (2005). Multicultural education and racism: The case of Arab-Australian students in contemporary Australia. International Education Journal, 6 (4), 516-529.

Nieto, S., & Bode, P. (2009). Multicultural education and school reform. In S. Nieto & P. Bode (Eds.), Affirming diversity: The sociopolitical context of multicultural education (5th ed., pp. 42-62). Sydney, Australia: Pearson.

Pearce, S. (2003). The teacher as a problem. In S. Pearce (Ed.), You wouldn’t understand: White teachers in multiethnic classrooms (pp. 29-51). Trent, UK: Trentham Books.

Smolicz, J.J. (1999). Culture, ethnicity and education: Multiculturalism in a plural society. In M. Secombe & J. Zadja (Eds.), J.J. Smolicz on education and culture . Melbourne, Australia: James Nicholas Publishers.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2020, November 27). Multicultural Diversity and Performance in the Classroom. https://ivypanda.com/essays/multicultural-diversity-and-performance-in-the-classroom/

"Multicultural Diversity and Performance in the Classroom." IvyPanda , 27 Nov. 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/multicultural-diversity-and-performance-in-the-classroom/.

IvyPanda . (2020) 'Multicultural Diversity and Performance in the Classroom'. 27 November.

IvyPanda . 2020. "Multicultural Diversity and Performance in the Classroom." November 27, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/multicultural-diversity-and-performance-in-the-classroom/.

1. IvyPanda . "Multicultural Diversity and Performance in the Classroom." November 27, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/multicultural-diversity-and-performance-in-the-classroom/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Multicultural Diversity and Performance in the Classroom." November 27, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/multicultural-diversity-and-performance-in-the-classroom/.

• Multiculturalism and Diversity in Higher Education Institutions
• Canadian Immigration and Multiculturalism
• Policy of Ethnicity and Identity: Multiculturalism
• School Climate and Student Culture
• Cultural Agents in Organizing and Influencing Learning
• Language Preferences in Multicultural Class
• Education and Religion: Old and New Patterns
• Core Values in Education Sphere

Advertisement

Diversity in the Classrooms: A Human-Centered Approach to Schools

• Published: 17 April 2020
• Volume 51 , pages 429–439, ( 2020 )

Cite this article

• Daniela Fontenelle-Tereshchuk 1 , 2  

3024 Accesses

5 Citations

2 Altmetric

Explore all metrics

This article explores the perceptions of experiences and insights of four Alberta teachers on the understanding of diversity in the classrooms. The teachers in this multiple case study argue that the popular understanding of diversity, especially in schools, is often supported by American contextualized narrative of polarized racial views focusing on assumptions of contrasting ‘whiteness’ visible in race, culture and socio-economic status associated to ones’ skin colour, for instance it recognizes dark-skinned students as diverse as opposed to teachers who are perceived simply as a large group of ‘white, middle-class ladies’. Such conceptualization of diversity is problematic as its social-constructed understanding implies that teachers of European descent share a common ‘Euro-centered’ history, culture, and ethnicity, while Europe is in fact an ethnically, historically and culturally diverse continent. These assumptions have serious implications on teaching and learning as it directly reflects on teacher preparation programs, professional development practices and educational policies. The selective approach to diversity based on race and culture does a disservice to education’s purpose as it over-focuses on visible aspects of differences among students while it disregards the universal needs of a community of learners in schools. This paper advocates for a human-centered understanding of diversity in schools, which seeks to understand diversity beyond the socially constructed borders surrounding race, culture and gender, often used to define teachers as simply ‘white’ in the context of diversity in Canada.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price includes VAT (Russian Federation)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Rent this article via DeepDyve

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

The justification for inclusive education in Australia

Inclusion and equity in education: Making sense of global challenges

Intersectionality: A pathway towards inclusive education?

Alberta Education (2010). Making a difference: Meeting diverse learning needs with differentiated instruction . Retrieved from https://education.alberta.ca/media/384968/makingadifference_2010.pdf

Aoki, T. T. (2005) Toward curriculum inquiry in a new key (1978/1980). In Aoki, T. T., Pinar, W. F., Irwin, R. L., & Ebrary, I.  Curriculum in a new key: The collected works of Ted T. Aoki . Mahwah, N.J: Lawrence Erlbaum.

ATA -Alberta Teachers Association (2014). Report of the blue ribbon panel: Inclusive education in Alberta school . Retrieved from https://www.teachers.ab.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/ATA/News-Room/2014/PD-170-1%20PD%20Blue%20Ribbon%20Panel%20Report%202014-web.pdf

ATA -Alberta Teachers Association (2009). Mental health in Schools: Teachers have the power to make a difference . Edmonton, Canada. Retrieved from https://www.teachers.ab.ca/Publications/ATA%20Magazine/Volume%2090/Number%201/Articles/Pages/MentalHealthinSchools.aspx

Banks, J. A., & Banks, C. A. M. (2004). Handbook of research on multiculturalism education (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Google Scholar  

Bhabha, H. (1994). The location of culture . New York, NY: Routledge.

Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Courtland, M. C., & Gonzalez, I. (2013). Imagining the possibilities: The potential of diverse Canadian picture books. In I. Johnston & J. Bainbridge (Eds.), The pedagogical potential of diverse Canadian picture books: Pre-service teachers explore issues of identity, ideology, and pedagogy (pp. 96–113). Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto.

Cranston, A. J. (2015). Navigating the Bermuda Triangle of teacher hiring practices. In N. Maynes & B. E. Hatt (Eds.), Canada the complexity of hiring, supporting, and retaining new teachers across Canada (pp. 128–149). Polygraph Series: Canadian Association for Teacher Education (CATE).

Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th Ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Creswell, J. W. (2013). Research design (international student edition): Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Crocker, R. K., & Dibbon, D. C. (2008). Teacher education in Canada: A baseline study. Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education. Kelowna, Canada: University of Calgary. Retrieved from https://deslibris.ca/ID/216529

Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2008). Collecting and interpreting qualitative materials (3rd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Fontenelle-Tereshchuk, D. D. (2019). Exploring teachers' insights into their professional growth and other experiences in diverse classrooms in Alberta. University of Alberta, Canada. Doctoral unpublished dissertation.

Gérin-Lajoie, D. (2012). Racial and ethnic diversity in schools: The case of English Canada. Prospects, 42 (2), 205–220. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-012-9231-0 .

Article   Google Scholar  

Gérin-Lajoie, D. (2008). Educators' discourses on student diversity in Canada: Context, policy, and practice . Toronto, Canada: Canadian Scholars.

Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L (1967). The discovery of grounded theory. Chicago, IL: Aldine. Retrieved from https://www.sxf.uevora.pt/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Glaser_1967.pdf

Guess, T. J. (2006). The social construction of whiteness: Racism by intent, racism by consequence. Critical Sociology, 32 (4), 649–673. https://doi.org/10.1163/156916306779155199 .

Guo, Y. (2011). Perspectives of immigrant Muslim parents: Advocating for religious diversity in Canadian schools. (Researching bias). Multicultural Education, 18 (2), 55–60.

Howe, E. (2014). Bridging the aboriginal education gap in Alberta: The provincial benefit exceeds a quarter of a trillion dollars. Rupertsland Centre for Métis Research .

McLaren, P. (1994). Life in schools : An introduction to critical pedagogy in the foundations of education (2nd ed.). Toronto, Canada: Irwin.

McLeod, K. (1975). Education and the assimilation of new Canadians in the North-West territories and Saskatchewan1885–1934 . University of Toronto, Canada. (Unpublished Doctoral dissertation).

Miller, J. (2018). Residential Schools in Canada. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/residential-schools

Milner, H. R. (2010). What does teacher education have to do with teaching? Implications for diversity studies. Journal of Teacher Education, 61 (1–2), 118–131. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487109347670 .

Moore, A. (2004). The good teacher: Dominant discourses in teaching and teacher education . New York, NY: Routledge Falmer.

Book   Google Scholar  

Padula, A. P., & Miller, L. D. (1999). Understanding Graduate Women's Re-entry Experiences: Case Studies of Four Psychology Doctoral Students in a Midwestern University. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 23 , 327–343.

Palmer, H. (1982). Patterns of prejudice: A history of nativism in Alberta . Toronto, Canada: McClelland and Stewart.

Peacock J., Holland D., (1993) The Narrated Self Life Stories in Process. Ethos 21(4): 367–383

Rodrigues, S. (2005). Teacher professional development in science education . In S. Rodrigues, International perspectives on teacher professional development: Changes influenced by politics, pedagogy and innovation (pp.1 13). New York, NY: Nova Science

Ryan, J., Pollock, K., & Antonelli, F. (2009). Teacher diversity in Canada: Leaky pipelines, bottlenecks, and glass ceilings. Canadian Journal of Education, 32 (3), 591–617.

Syed, K. T. (2010). Canadian educators’ narratives of teaching multicultural education. International Journal of Canadian Studie s, 42, 255–269. Retrieved from https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/ijcs/2010-n42-ijcs1516360/1002181ar.pdf

Statistics Canada (2017). Focus on Geography Series, 2016 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98–404-X2016001. Ottawa, Ontario. Data products, 2016 Census. Retrieved from https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/as-sa/fogs-spg/Facts-pr-eng.cfm?Lang=Eng&GK=PR&GC=48&TOPIC=7

U.S. National Library of Medicine (2019). Help me understand genetics: Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing. Retrieved from PDF version of https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/dtcgenetictesting/ancestrytesting .

Yin, R. K. (2009). Case study research: Design and methods (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Department of Secondary Education, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

Daniela Fontenelle-Tereshchuk

Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniela Fontenelle-Tereshchuk .

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest.

We have no known conflict of interest to disclose.

Additional information

Publisher's note.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Fontenelle-Tereshchuk, D. Diversity in the Classrooms: A Human-Centered Approach to Schools. Interchange 51 , 429–439 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10780-020-09402-4

Download citation

Received : 03 January 2020

Accepted : 08 April 2020

Published : 17 April 2020

Issue Date : December 2020

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s10780-020-09402-4

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Find a journal
• Publish with us
• Track your research

Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Diversity — Importance of Diversity in The Classroom

Importance of Diversity in The Classroom

• Categories: Cultural Anthropology Diversity Gender Discrimination

About this sample

Words: 630 |

Published: Mar 16, 2024

Words: 630 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

Table of contents

Enhances learning experience, fosters inclusivity and equity, enhances intercultural competence (optional).

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Prof Ernest (PhD)

Verified writer

• Expert in: Arts & Culture Social Issues

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

1 pages / 657 words

4 pages / 1973 words

6 pages / 2507 words

2 pages / 1131 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Diversity

The future can be both exciting and daunting. The constant barrage of questions about what we plan on doing next can be overwhelming, but it is an important aspect of growing up. The question of where we see ourselves in the [...]

Cletus, H. E., Mahmood, N. A., Umar, A., & Ibrahim, A. D. (2018). Prospects and challenges of workplace diversity in modern day organizations: A critical review. HOLISTICA–Journal of Business and Public Administration, 9(2), [...]

The entertainment industry has long struggled with issues of diversity and inclusion, with marginalized communities often underrepresented or misrepresented in mainstream media. This lack of representation can have a profound [...]

In E Pluribus Unum: A Quilt of a Country Summary, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anna Quindlen explores the diverse tapestry of American society and the challenges and opportunities it presents. This essay will focus on the [...]

The debate over importance of workplace diversity is not new. It has been in discussion for last 6 decades. Many researchers, academicians, human resource professionals and entrepreneurs have debated about its benefits, [...]

Nicole Byer is a trailblazing comedian and actress who has made a significant impact in the entertainment industry. With her infectious humor and unapologetic authenticity, she has garnered a loyal following and gained [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, how to write a diversity essay: 4 key tips.

College Essays

If you're applying to college, you've probably heard the phrase "diversity essay" once or twice. This type of essay is a little different from your typical "Why this college?" essay . Instead of focusing on why you've chosen a certain school, you'll write about your background, values, community, and experiences—basically, what makes you special.

In this guide, I explain what a diversity college essay is, what schools are looking for in this essay, and what you can do to ensure your diversity essay stands out.

What Is a Diversity Essay for College?

A diversity essay is a college admissions essay that focuses on you as an individual and your relationship with a specific community. The purpose of this essay is to reveal what makes you different from other applicants, including what unique challenges or barriers you've faced and how you've contributed to or learned from a specific community of people.

Generally speaking, the diversity college essay is used to promote diversity in the student body . As a result, the parameters of this essay are typically quite broad. Applicants may write about any relevant community or experience. Here are some examples of communities you could discuss:

• Your cultural group
• Your race or ethnicity
• Your extended family
• Your religion
• Your socioeconomic background (such as your family's income)
• Your sex or gender
• Your sexual orientation
• Your gender identity
• Your values or opinions
• Your experiences
• Your home country or hometown
• Your school
• The area you live in or your neighborhood
• A club or organization of which you're an active member

Although the diversity essay is a common admissions requirement at many colleges, most schools do not specifically refer to this essay as a diversity essay . At some schools, the diversity essay is simply your personal statement , whereas at others, it's a supplemental essay or short answer.

It's also important to note that the diversity essay is not limited to undergraduate programs . Many graduate programs also require diversity essays from applicants. So if you're planning to eventually apply to graduate school, be aware that you might have to write another diversity statement!

Diversity Essay Sample Prompts From Colleges

Now that you understand what diversity essays for college are, let's take a look at some diversity essay sample prompts from actual college applications.

University of Michigan

At the University of Michigan , the diversity college essay is a required supplemental essay for all freshman applicants.

Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it.

University of Washington

Like UM, the University of Washington asks students for a short-answer (300 words) diversity essay. UW also offers advice on how to answer the prompt.

Our families and communities often define us and our individual worlds. Community might refer to your cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood or school, sports team or club, co-workers, etc. Describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of the University of Washington.

Keep in mind that the UW strives to create a community of students richly diverse in cultural backgrounds, experiences, values, and viewpoints.

University of California System

The UC system requires freshman applicants to choose four out of eight prompts (or personal insight questions ) and submit short essays of up to 350 words each . Two of these are diversity essay prompts that heavily emphasize community, personal challenges, and background.

For each prompt, the UC system offers tips on what to write about and how to craft a compelling essay.

5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?

Things to consider: A challenge could be personal, or something you have faced in your community or school. Why was the challenge significant to you? This is a good opportunity to talk about any obstacles you've faced and what you've learned from the experience. Did you have support from someone else or did you handle it alone?

If you're currently working your way through a challenge, what are you doing now, and does that affect different aspects of your life? For example, ask yourself, "How has my life changed at home, at my school, with my friends, or with my family?"

7. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?

Things to consider: Think of community as a term that can encompass a group, team, or place—like your high school, hometown, or home. You can define community as you see fit; just make sure you talk about your role in that community. Was there a problem that you wanted to fix in your community?

Why were you inspired to act? What did you learn from your effort? How did your actions benefit others, the wider community, or both? Did you work alone or with others to initiate change in your community?

Think about your community: How has it helped you? What have you done for it?

University of Oklahoma

First-year applicants to the University of Oklahoma who want to qualify for a leader, community service, or major-based scholarship must answer two optional, additional writing prompts , one of which tackles diversity. The word count for this prompt is 650 words or less.

The University of Oklahoma is the home of a vibrant, diverse, and compassionate university community that is often referred to as “the OU family.” Please describe your cultural and community service activities and why you chose to participate in them.

Duke University

In addition to having to answer the Common Application or Coalition Application essay prompts, applicants to Duke University may (but do not have to) submit short answers to two prompts, four of which are diversity college essay prompts . The maximum word count for each is 250 words.

We believe a wide range of personal perspectives, beliefs, and lived experiences are essential to making Duke a vibrant and meaningful living and learning community. Feel free to share with us anything in this context that might help us better understand you and what you might bring to our community .

We believe there is benefit in sharing and sometimes questioning our beliefs or values; who do you agree with on the big important things, or who do you have your most interesting disagreements with? What are you agreeing or disagreeing about?

We recognize that “fitting in” in all the contexts we live in can sometimes be difficult. Duke values all kinds of differences and believes they make our community better. Feel free to tell us any ways in which you’re different, and how that has affected you or what it means to you.

Duke’s commitment to inclusion and belonging includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Feel free to share with us more about how your identity in this context has meaning for you as an individual or as a member of a community .

Pitzer College

At Pitzer, freshman applicants must use the Common Application and answer one supplemental essay prompt. One of these prompts is a diversity essay prompt that asks you to write about your community.

At Pitzer, five core values distinguish our approach to education: social responsibility, intercultural understanding, interdisciplinary learning, student engagement, and environmental sustainability. As agents of change, our students utilize these values to create solutions to our world's challenges. Reflecting on your involvement throughout high school or within the community, how have you engaged with one of Pitzer's core values?

The Common Application

Many colleges and universities, such as Purdue University , use the Common Application and its essay prompts.

One of its essay prompts is for a diversity essay, which can be anywhere from 250 to 650 words. This prompt has a strong focus on the applicant's identity, interests, and background.

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful, they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

ApplyTexas is similar to the Common Application but is only used by public colleges and universities in the state of Texas. The application contains multiple essay prompts, one of which is a diversity college essay prompt that asks you to elaborate on who you are based on a particular identity, a passion you have, or a particular skill that you've cultivated.

Essay B: Some students have an identity, an interest, or a talent that defines them in an essential way. If you are one of these students, then tell us about yourself.

In a diversity essay, focus on an aspect of your identity or cultural background that defines you and makes you stand out.

What Do Colleges Look for in a Diversity Essay?

With the diversity essay, what colleges usually want most is to learn more about you , including what experiences have made you the person you are today and what unique insights you can offer the school. But what kinds of specific qualities do schools look for in a diversity essay?

To answer this, let's look at what schools themselves have said about college essays. Although not many colleges give advice specific to the diversity essay, many provide tips for how to write an effective college essay in general .

For example, here is what Dickinson College hopes to see in applicants' college essays:

Tell your story.

It may be trite advice, but it's also true. Admissions counselors develop a sixth sense about essay writers who are authentic. You'll score points for being earnest and faithful to yourself.

Authenticity is key to writing an effective diversity essay. Schools want you to be honest about who you are and where you come from; don't exaggerate or make up stories to make yourself sound "cooler" or more interesting—99% of the time, admissions committees will see right through it! Remember: admissions committees read thousands of applications, so they can spot a fake story a mile away.

Next, here's what Wellesley College says about the purpose of college essays:

Let the Board of Admission discover:

• More about you as a person.
• The side of you not shown by SATs and grades.
• Your history, attitudes, interests, and creativity.
• Your values and goals—what sets you apart.

It's important to not only be authentic but to also showcase "what sets you apart" from other applicants—that is, what makes you you . This is especially important when you consider how many applications admissions committees go through each year. If you don't stand out in some positive way, you'll likely end up in the crapshoot , significantly reducing or even eliminating your chances of admission .

And finally, here's some advice from the University of Michigan on writing essays for college:

Your college essay will be one of nearly 50,000 that we'll be reading in admissions—use this opportunity to your advantage. Your essay gives us insights into your personality; it helps us determine if your relationship with the school will be mutually beneficial.

So tell us what faculty you'd like to work with, or what research you're interested in. Tell us why you're a leader—or how you overcame adversity in your life. Tell us why this is the school for you. Tell us your story.

Overall, the most important characteristic colleges are looking for in the diversity essay (as well as in any college essay you submit) is authenticity. Colleges want to know who you are and how you got here; they also want to see what makes you memorable and what you can bring to the school.

An excellent diversity essay will represent some aspect of your identity in a sincere, authentic way.

How to Write an Effective Diversity Essay: Four Tips

Here are some tips to help you write a great diversity college essay and increase your chances of admission to college.

#1: Think About What Makes You Unique

One of the main purposes of the diversity essay is to present your uniqueness and explain how you will bring a new perspective to the student body and school as a whole. Therefore, for your essay, be sure to choose a topic that will help you stand apart from other applicants .

For example, instead of writing about your ability to play the piano (which a lot of applicants can do, no doubt), it'd be far more interesting to elaborate on how your experience growing up in Austria led you to become interested in classical music.

Try to think of defining experiences in your life. These don't have to be obvious life-altering events, but they should have had a lasting impact on you and helped shape your identity.

#2: Be Honest and Authentic

Ah, there's that word again: authentic . Although it's important to showcase how unique you are, you also want to make sure you're staying true to who you are. What experiences have made you the person you are today? What kind of impact did these have on your identity, accomplishments, and future goals?

Being honest also means not exaggerating (or lying about) your experiences or views. It's OK if you don't remember every little detail of an event or conversation. Just try to be as honest about your feelings as possible. Don't say something changed your life if it really had zero impact on you.

Ultimately, you want to write in a way that's true to your voice . Don't be afraid to throw in a little humor or a personal anecdote. What matters most is that your diversity essay accurately represents you and your intellectual potential.

#3: Write Clearly, Correctly, and Cogently

This next tip is of a more mechanical nature. As is the case with any college essay, it's critical that your diversity essay is well written . After all, the purpose of this essay is not only to help schools get to know you better but also to demonstrate a refined writing ability—a skill that's necessary for doing well in college, regardless of your major.

A diversity essay that's littered with typos and grammatical errors will fail to tell a smooth, compelling, and coherent story about you. It will also make you look unprofessional and won't convince admissions committees that you're serious about college and your future.

So what should you do? First, separate your essay into clear, well-organized paragraphs. Next, edit your essay several times. As you further tweak your draft, continue to proofread it. If possible, get an adult—such as a teacher, tutor, or parent—to look it over for you as well.

#4: Take Your Time

Our final tip is to give yourself plenty of time to actually write your diversity essay. Usually, college applications are due around December or January , so it's a good idea to start your essay early, ideally in the summer before your senior year (and before classes and homework begin eating up your time).

Starting early also lets you gain some perspective on your diversity essay . Here's how to do this: once you've written a rough draft or even just a couple of paragraphs of your essay, put it away for a few days. Once this time passes, take out your essay again and reread it with a fresh perspective. Try to determine whether it still has the impact you wanted it to have. Ask yourself, "Does this essay sound like the real me or someone else? Are some areas a little too cheesy? Could I add more or less detail to certain paragraphs?"

Finally, giving yourself lots of time to write your diversity essay means you can have more people read it and offer comments and edits on it . This is crucial for producing an effective diversity college essay.

Conclusion: Writing Diversity Essays for College

A diversity essay is a college admissions essay that r evolves around an applicant's background and identity, usually within the context of a particular community. This community can refer to race or ethnicity, income level, neighborhood, school, gender, age, sexual orientation, etc.

Many colleges—such as the University of Michigan, the University of Washington, and Duke—use the diversity essay to ensure diversity in their student bodies . Some schools require the essay; others accept it as an optional application component.

If you'll be writing diversity essays for college, be sure to do the following when writing your essay to give yourself a higher chance of admission:

• Think about what makes you unique: Try to pinpoint an experience or opinion you have that'll separate you from the rest of the crowd in an interesting, positive way.
• Be honest and authentic:  Avoid exaggerating or lying about your feelings and experiences.
• Write clearly, correctly, and cogently:  Edit, proofread, and get someone else to look over your essay.
• Take your time: Start early, preferably during the summer before your senior year, so you can have more time to make changes and get feedback from others.

With that, I wish you the best of luck on your diversity essay!

What's Next?

You understand how to write a diversity essay— but what about a "Why this college?" essay ? What about a general personal statement ? Our guides explain what these essays are and how you can produce amazing responses for your applications.

Want more samples of college essay prompts? Read dozens of real prompts with our guide and learn how to answer them effectively.

Curious about what a good college essay actually looks like? Then check out our analysis of 100+ college essays and what makes them memorable .

Hannah received her MA in Japanese Studies from the University of Michigan and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California. From 2013 to 2015, she taught English in Japan via the JET Program. She is passionate about education, writing, and travel.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

Improve With Our Famous Guides

• For All Students

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points

How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 800 on Each SAT Section:

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading

Score 800 on SAT Writing

Series: How to Get to 600 on Each SAT Section:

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading

Score 600 on SAT Writing

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For?

15 Strategies to Improve Your SAT Essay

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points

How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 36 on Each ACT Section:

36 on ACT English

36 on ACT Math

36 on ACT Reading

36 on ACT Science

Series: How to Get to 24 on Each ACT Section:

24 on ACT English

24 on ACT Math

24 on ACT Reading

24 on ACT Science

What ACT target score should you be aiming for?

ACT Vocabulary You Must Know

ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

Is the ACT easier than the SAT? A Comprehensive Guide

Should you retake your SAT or ACT?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Stay Informed

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

Looking for Graduate School Test Prep?

Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here:

GRE Online Prep Blog

GMAT Online Prep Blog

TOEFL Online Prep Blog

Holly R. "I am absolutely overjoyed and cannot thank you enough for helping me!”

Which program are you applying to?

Accepted Admissions Blog

Everything you need to know to get Accepted

May 8, 2024

The Diversity Essay: How to Write an Excellent Diversity Essay

What is a diversity essay in a school application? And why does it matter when applying to leading programs and universities? Most importantly, how should you go about writing such an essay?

Diversity is of supreme value in higher education, and schools want to know how every student will contribute to the diversity on their campus. A diversity essay gives applicants with disadvantaged or underrepresented backgrounds, an unusual education, a distinctive experience, or a unique family history an opportunity to write about how these elements of their background have prepared them to play a useful role in increasing and encouraging diversity among their target program’s student body and broader community.

The purpose of all application essays is to help the adcom better understand who an applicant is and what they care about. Your essays are your chance to share your voice and humanize your application. This is especially true for the diversity essay, which aims to reveal your unique perspectives and experiences, as well as the ways in which you might contribute to a college community.

In this post, we’ll discuss what exactly a diversity essay is, look at examples of actual prompts and a sample essay, and offer tips for writing a standout essay. 

In this post, you’ll find the following: 

What a diversity essay covers

How to show you can add to a school’s diversity, why diversity matters to schools.

• Seven examples that reveal diversity

Sample diversity essay prompts

How to write about your diversity.

• A diversity essay example

Upon hearing the word “diversity” in relation to an application essay, many people assume that they will have to write about gender, sexuality, class, or race. To many, this can feel overly personal or irrelevant, and some students might worry that their identity isn’t unique or interesting enough. In reality, the diversity essay is much broader than many people realize.

Identity means different things to different people. The important thing is that you demonstrate your uniqueness and what matters to you. In addition to writing about one of the traditional identity features we just mentioned (gender, sexuality, class, race), you could consider writing about a more unusual feature of yourself or your life – or even the intersection of two or more identities.

Consider these questions as you think about what to include in your diversity essay:

• Do you have a unique or unusual talent or skill?
• Do you have beliefs or values that are markedly different from those of the people around you? 
• Do you have a hobby or interest that sets you apart from your peers? 
• Have you done or experienced something that few people have? Note that if you choose to write about a single event as a diverse identity feature, that event needs to have had a pretty substantial impact on you and your life. For example, perhaps you’re part of the 0.2% of the world’s population that has run a marathon, or you’ve had the chance to watch wolves hunt in the wild.
• Do you have a role in life that gives you a special outlook on the world? For example, maybe one of your siblings has a rare disability, or you grew up in a town with fewer than 500 inhabitants.

If you are an immigrant to the United States, the child of immigrants, or someone whose ethnicity is underrepresented in the States, your response to “How will you add to the diversity of our class/community?” and similar questions might help your application efforts. Why? Because you have the opportunity to show the adcom how your background will contribute a distinctive perspective to the program you are applying to.

Of course, if you’re not underrepresented in your field or part of a disadvantaged group, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have anything to write about in a diversity essay.

For example, you might have an unusual or special experience to share, such as serving in the military, being a member of a dance troupe, or caring for a disabled relative. These and other distinctive experiences can convey how you will contribute to the diversity of the school’s campus.

Maybe you are the first member of your family to apply to college or the first person in your household to learn English. Perhaps you have worked your way through college or helped raise your siblings. You might also have been an ally to those who are underrepresented, disadvantaged, or marginalized in your community, at your school, or in a work setting. 

As you can see, diversity is not limited to one’s religion, ethnicity, culture, language, or sexual orientation. It refers to whatever element of your identity distinguishes you from others and shows that you, too, value diversity.

The diversity essay provides colleges the chance to build a student body that includes different ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, backgrounds, interests, and so on. Applicants are asked to illuminate what sets them apart so that the adcoms can see what kind of diverse views and opinions they can bring to the campus.

Admissions officers believe that diversity in the classroom improves the educational experience of all the students involved. They also believe that having a diverse workforce better serves society as a whole.

The more diverse perspectives found in the classroom, throughout the dorms, in the dining halls, and mixed into study groups, the richer people’s discussions will be.

Plus, learning and growing in this kind of multicultural environment will prepare students for working in our increasingly multicultural and global world.

In medicine, for example, a heterogeneous workforce benefits people from previously underrepresented cultures. Businesses realize that they will market more effectively if they can speak to different audiences, which is possible when members of their workforce come from various backgrounds and cultures. Schools simply want to prepare graduates for the 21st century job market.

Seven examples that reveal diversity

Adcoms want to know about the diverse elements of your character and how these have helped you develop particular  personality traits , as well as about any unusual experiences that have shaped you.

Here are seven examples an applicant could write about:

1. They grew up in an environment with a strong emphasis on respecting their elders, attending family events, and/or learning their parents’ native language and culture.

2. They are close to their grandparents and extended family members who have taught them how teamwork can help everyone thrive.

3. They have had to face difficulties that stem from their parents’ values being in conflict with theirs or those of their peers.

4. Teachers have not always understood the elements of their culture or lifestyle and how those elements influence their performance.

5. They have suffered discrimination and succeeded despite it because of their grit, values, and character.

6. They learned skills from a lifestyle that is outside the norm (e.g., living in foreign countries as the child of a diplomat or contractor; performing professionally in theater, dance, music, or sports; having a deaf sibling).

7. They’ve encountered racism or other prejudice (either toward themselves or others) and responded by actively promoting diverse, tolerant values.

And remember, diversity is not about who your parents are.  It’s about who you are  – at the core.

Your background, influences, religious observances, native language, ideas, work environment, community experiences – all these factors come together to create a unique individual, one who will contribute to a varied class of distinct individuals taking their place in a diverse world.

The best-known diversity essay prompt is from the  Common App . It states:

“Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.”

Some schools have individual diversity essay prompts. For example, this one is from  Duke University :

“We believe a wide range of personal perspectives, beliefs, and lived experiences are essential to making Duke a vibrant and meaningful living and learning community. Feel free to share with us anything in this context that might help us better understand you and what you might bring to our community.” 

And the  Rice University application includes the following prompt:

“Rice is strengthened by its diverse community of learning and discovery that produces leaders and change agents across the spectrum of human endeavor. What perspectives shaped by your background, experiences, upbringing, and/or racial identity inspire you to join our community of change agents at Rice?”

In all instances, colleges want you to demonstrate how and what you’ll contribute to their communities.

Your answer to a school’s diversity essay question should focus on how your experiences have built your empathy for others, your embrace of differences, your resilience, your character, and your perspective.

The school might ask how you think of diversity or how you will bring or add to the diversity of the school, your chosen profession, or your community. Make sure you answer the specific question posed by highlighting distinctive elements of your profile that will add to the class mosaic every adcom is trying to create. You don’t want to blend in; you want to stand out in a positive way while also complementing the school’s canvas.

Here’s a simple, three-part framework that will help you think of diversity more broadly:

Who are you? What has contributed to your identity? How do you distinguish yourself? Your identity can include any of the following: gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, disability, religion, nontraditional work experience, nontraditional educational background, multicultural background, and family’s educational level.

What have you done? What have you accomplished? This could include any of the following: achievements inside and/or outside your field of study, leadership opportunities, community service, internship or professional experience, research opportunities, hobbies, and travel. Any or all of these could be unique. Also, what life-derailing, throw-you-for-a-loop challenges have you faced and overcome?

How do you think? How do you approach things? What drives you? What influences you? Are you the person who can break up a tense meeting with some well-timed humor? Are you the one who intuitively sees how to bring people together? 

Read more about this three-part framework in Episode 193 of Accepted’s Admissions Straight Talk podcast or listen wherever you get your favorite podcast s.

Think about each question within this framework and how you could apply your diversity elements to your target school’s classroom or community. Any of these elements can serve as the framework for your essay.

Don’t worry if you can’t think of something totally “out there.” You don’t need to be a tightrope walker living in the Andes or a Buddhist monk from Japan to be able to contribute to a school’s diversity!

And please remember, the examples we have offered here are not exhaustive. There are many other ways to show diversity!

All you need to do to be able to write successfully about how you will contribute to the diversity of your target school’s community is examine your identity, deeds, and ideas, with an eye toward your personal distinctiveness and individuality. There is only one  you .

Take a look at the sample diversity essay in the next section of this post, and pay attention to how the writer underscores their appreciation for, and experience with, diversity. 

A diversity essay sample

When I was starting 11th grade, my dad, an agricultural scientist, was assigned to a 3-month research project in a farm village in Niigata (northwest Honshu in Japan). Rather than stay behind with my mom and siblings, I begged to go with him. As a straight-A student, I convinced my parents and the principal that I could handle my schoolwork remotely (pre-COVID) for that stretch. It was time to leap beyond my comfortable suburban Wisconsin life—and my Western orientation, reinforced by travel to Europe the year before. 

We roomed in a sprawling farmhouse with a family participating in my dad’s study. I thought I’d experience an “English-free zone,” but the high school students all studied and wanted to practice English, so I did meet peers even though I didn’t attend their school. Of the many eye-opening, influential, cultural experiences, the one that resonates most powerfully to me is experiencing their community. It was a living, organic whole. Elementary school kids spent time helping with the rice harvest. People who foraged for seasonal wild edibles gave them to acquaintances throughout the town. In fact, there was a constant sharing of food among residents—garden veggies carried in straw baskets, fish or meat in coolers. The pharmacist would drive prescriptions to people who couldn’t easily get out—new mothers, the elderly—not as a business service but as a good neighbor. If rain suddenly threatened, neighbors would bring in each other’s drying laundry. When an empty-nest 50-year-old woman had to be hospitalized suddenly for a near-fatal snakebite, neighbors maintained her veggie patch until she returned. The community embodied constant awareness of others’ needs and circumstances. The community flowed!

Yet, people there lamented that this lifestyle was vanishing; more young people left than stayed or came. And it wasn’t idyllic: I heard about ubiquitous gossip, long-standing personal enmities, busybody-ness. But these very human foibles didn’t dam the flow. This dynamic community organism couldn’t have been more different from my suburban life back home, with its insular nuclear families. We nod hello to neighbors in passing. 

This wonderful experience contained a personal challenge. Blond and blue-eyed, I became “the other” for the first time. Except for my dad, I saw no Westerner there. Curious eyes followed me. Stepping into a market or walking down the street, I drew gazes. People swiftly looked away if they accidentally caught my eye. It was not at all hostile, I knew, but I felt like an object. I began making extra sure to appear “presentable” before going outside. The sense of being watched sometimes generated mild stress or resentment. Returning to my lovely tatami room, I would decompress, grateful to be alone. I realized this challenge was a minute fraction of what others experience in my own country. The toll that feeling—and being— “other” takes on non-white and visibly different people in the US can be extremely painful. Experiencing it firsthand, albeit briefly, benignly, and in relative comfort, I got it.

Unlike the organic Niigata community, work teams, and the workplace itself, have externally driven purposes. Within this different environment, I will strive to exemplify the ongoing mutual awareness that fueled the community life in Niigata. Does it benefit the bottom line, improve the results? I don’t know. But it helps me be the mature, engaged person I want to be, and to appreciate the individuals who are my colleagues and who comprise my professional community. I am now far more conscious of people feeling their “otherness”—even when it’s not in response to negative treatment, it can arise simply from awareness of being in some way different.

What did you think of this essay? Does this middle class Midwesterner have the unique experience of being different from the surrounding majority, something she had not experienced in the United States? Did she encounter diversity from the perspective of “the other”? 

Here a few things to note about why this diversity essay works so well:

1. The writer comes from “a comfortable, suburban, Wisconsin life,” suggesting that her background might not be ethnically, racially, or in any other way diverse.

2. The diversity “points” scored all come from her fascinating experience of having lived in a Japanese farm village, where she immersed herself in a totally different culture.

3. The lessons learned about the meaning of community are what broaden and deepen the writer’s perspective about life, about a purpose-driven life, and about the concept of “otherness.” 

By writing about a time when you experienced diversity in one of its many forms, you can write a memorable and meaningful diversity essay.

Working on your diversity essay?

Want to ensure that your application demonstrates the diversity that your dream school is seeking?  Work with one of our admissions experts . This checklist includes more than 30 different ways to think about diversity to jump-start your creative engine.

Dr. Sundas Ali has more than 15 years of experience teaching and advising students, providing career and admissions advice, reviewing applications, and conducting interviews for the University of Oxford’s undergraduate and graduate programs. In addition, Sundas has worked with students from a wide range of countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, India, Pakistan, China, Japan, and the Middle East. Want Sundas to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch! 

Related Resources:

• Different Dimensions of Diversity , podcast Episode 193
• What Should You Do If You Belong to an Overrepresented MBA Applicant Group?
• Fitting In & Standing Out: The Paradox at the Heart of Admissions , a free guide

About Us Press Room Contact Us Podcast Accepted Blog Privacy Policy Website Terms of Use Disclaimer Client Terms of Service

Accepted 1171 S. Robertson Blvd. #140 Los Angeles CA 90035 +1 (310) 815-9553 © 2022 Accepted

• Prodigy Math
• Prodigy English
• Is a Premium Membership Worth It?
• Promote a Growth Mindset
• Help Your Child Who's Struggling with Math
• Parent's Guide to Prodigy
• Assessments
• Math Curriculum Coverage
• English Curriculum Coverage
• Game Portal

7 Ways to Support Diversity in the Classroom [With Examples]

Written by Maria Kampen

Reviewed by Diana Truong, MA-CSE

Engage and motivate your students with our adaptive, game-based learning platform!

• School Leaders
• School Leadership
• Teaching Strategies
• A quick definition of what diversity in the classroom means for your school
• Why diversity in the classroom setting is important
• 7 ways to promote diversity in your school and community

A school culture where people embrace diversity in the classroom can positively impact the school community. When this happens, a school community creates a safe, supportive and purposeful environment for students and staff which, in turn, allows students to grow — academically and socially.

In an increasingly fragmented society, the ability to connect with peers, coworkers and neighbours with diverse backgrounds and abilities is invaluable. Diversity improves critical-thinking skills, builds empathy and encourages students to think differently.

If you want to support diversity, then this post is for you.

What is diversity in the classroom?

Diversity is everything that makes people different from each other. This includes many different factors: race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, ability, age, religious belief, or political conviction. All these factors work together to inform how students (and teachers, and everyone else) encounter the world.

The University of Rhode Island defines diversity in the classroom as “understanding each student brings unique experiences, strengths, and ideas to our classroom … Diversity is the exploration and incorporation of these differences to enrich learning in our classroom.”

For an illustrated definition of diversity, this video breaks down what the United States would look like if it were just a group of 100 people:

These realities are already reflected in your school, and it’s important for you to address them.

Why is diversity in the classroom important?

If you ignore the issue of diversity in the classroom and choose to not promote diversity in your school, you’re not doing your job.

Children go to school to be prepared for the workforce, so teaching must effectively address and embrace the realities that come with living and working in a diverse school, community and country.

Not only that, but there are other research-backed reasons for promoting diversity in the classroom:

Diversity in the classroom builds critical thinkers

According to an article from Scientific American , we’re more likely to think harder about an issue when we’re talking to someone who is different than us:

“Decades of research by organizational scientists, psychologists, sociologists, economists and demographers show that socially diverse groups (that is, those with a diversity of race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation) are more innovative than homogeneous groups.”

The same article goes on to point out that even the appearance of diversity (and with it, the suggestion that different opinions exist) makes us change how we approach issues.

Students are no exception to this rule. Diversity in the classroom helps students develop social awareness which helps them appreciate different perspectives and draw stronger conclusions. Challenging students to consider different perspectives can also teach them how to interact with their peers on a social level, and equip them with skills they’ll use for the rest of their life.

It improves academic outcomes

Diversity in the classroom doesn’t just improve social skills, it can also have an impact on academic results . It improves critical thinking skills and encourages academic confidence.

According to a case study from The Century Foundation , students who attended a magnet school in Hartford, Connecticut that was required to meet racial integration standards through a lottery system outperformed students at suburban school that had a higher percentage of affluent, white students on standardized test scores .

The same report also found that effectively integrated schools had less misbehavior, lower dropout levels and noticed that students were more likely to want to pursue post-secondary education.

It helps students feel represented and included

According to OISE professor Ann Lopez , diversity can “disrupt narratives and stereotypes in the classroom that position diverse people as lacking invaluable knowledge or unqualified.”

We commend this California high school instructor for encouraging essential #21stcentruryskills , such as communication and social/diversity awareness, through collaboration in the classroom. https://t.co/fnxu1AScJG https://t.co/fnxu1AScJG — Elizabeth Woods (@woods_spunky) April 1, 2019

When schools take inclusive and responsive approaches to diversity, students are more likely to see their identity represented in classroom materials or other students. When diversity is not a priority and these students don’t feel included, they’re more likely to not participate and feel inferior to their peers.

A study from the University of California, Los Angeles looked at diverse classrooms to assess the emotional gains of students, and found encouraging results. According to the study, students in the most diverse classrooms were more likely to feel safer, less lonely and less bullied at school.

Richard Messina , principal of OISE’s Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study, defines this practice as “idea diversity:”

“To understand an idea is to understand the ideas that surround it, including those that stand in contrast to it.  Idea diversity creates a rich environment for ideas to evolve into new and more refined forms . This pedagogical approach may help students to appreciate and value all forms of diversity and how diversity enriches learning.”

7 ways to encourage a culture of diversity in your school

Alright. So diversity is important to cultivate in your classroom because of the academic and social benefits. That’s a great thing to know, but what does diversity in the classroom look like in action? And how can you promote it in your school?

Good news: there are lots of different ways!

1. Re-evaluate your teaching materials

Which voices are speaking in your classroom?

That is, whose stories do you tell? Especially in the humanities and social sciences, teaching materials can often be limited to Western, white, male and middle-class narratives.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alyssa Lopez (@see_the_able)

Work with your teachers to see if you’re representing a wide range of voices in the curriculum. If possible, teach literature from authors of color. Examine historical narratives to see which voices are missing — for example, a discussion about the civil rights movement can examine how it intersects with gender equality, immigration and the stories of Latino, Hispanic and Native American peoples.

This is exactly what Citizens of the World Charter Schools in California is doing through a focus on a project-based, culturally-responsive and data-driven learning model.

Some of the projects they’re working on to promote diversity in the classroom include:

• A first-grade rally to end homelessness : To learn about homelessness and civic engagement, students write letters to the mayor and use their creative skills to produce awareness materials like posters and songs.
• Second language practice in second grade : Students who speak Spanish at home help teach their classmates and teachers how to pronounce and translate a Spanish song.
• Fourth-grade history : While learning about the gold rush, students write diaries from a wide range of historical actors like mine workers and owners, but also from the perspective of women and immigrants that worked alongside them.

If it’s difficult to change your existing curriculum, use the opportunity to ask students why different perspectives aren’t included and challenge them to apply critical thinking skills.

2. Get to know your students

All the students in your school are unique individuals, so use that fact to build a diverse and inclusive school culture .

Take the time to learn about your students: Where do they come from? What kind of socio-economic situation do they live in, broadly speaking? Are they meeting academic achievement standards, or are they struggling? Do they get along with their peers?

With everything that you have to keep track of and work on, it might be difficult to find the time to intentionally build relationships with students — especially if you’re new to the school or to a leadership position.

Here are some ways to start:

• Schedule time out of your day to visit classrooms or walk through the halls . Let students know that they can approach you with problems (or just to say hello), and then follow through on what they come to you with.
• Communicate your vision and goals for the school to your teachers . Encourage them to come to you with any questions or concerns, and work with them to promote diversity in the classroom.
• Show some school spirit . Participate in school events and visit different clubs or after-school activities. If students see that you’re invested in school culture, they’ll be more likely to also participate.

When you know your students and understand their strengths and weaknesses, you’re better equipped to help build a safe and secure learning environment, where all of them can thrive.

3. Be willing to address inequality

Part of supporting diversity in the classroom is creating a safe space for students and educators to talk about how issues of discrimination affect them on a personal, classroom- and school-wide level.

The more diversity is a topic of discussion in your school, the less students and teachers will hesitate to address it . As a school leader, you’re in a position to lead the conversation and inspire others in the school to take action.

This conversation shouldn’t just be limited to words — in order to make effective change, you need to take practical steps to address inequality when you encounter it, such as:

• Use language that promotes positivity and doesn’t reinforce existing stereotypes. For example, the phrase “boys will be boys” shouldn’t be used to justify sexism or aggression.
• Respond immediately and effectively to inappropriate comments or actions. Take infractions seriously and keep families informed.
• Model inclusion and acceptance. Encourage students to include all of their peers if you see division forming along racial or economic lines.
• Remove existing markers of inequality in your school. For example, make sure students who are eligible for free or reduced lunch programs aren’t singled out and made to feel different.

Fair does not equal the same — fair means making sure that every student has what he or she needs to succeed both personally and academically. When you lead the conversation and follow through with action, you signal that discrimination will not be tolerated in your school.

4. Connect with families and community

Schools are a central part of the community and should reflect and celebrate its diversity.

Communicate your goals for diversity in the classroom to families. Ask if they have any questions or concerns, and then listen. Invite them to identify areas in the curriculum or in the school culture that they feel could benefit from more of a focus on diversity.

Reach out to leaders in the community that can offer different perspectives, either as experts in their field, professionals, community workers or activists. Consider asking teachers to develop service learning projects that connect classroom learning with community initiatives.

When your students meet members of their community, they get to see examples of people from different backgrounds succeeding in their field and might be inspired to think differently about their own future.

Other options for staying in touch and building relationships with families and neighbours:

• Host a community food drive . Ask students, families and neighbours to bring in non-perishable food items to donate to the local food bank
• Start a paper or email newsletter  to communicate school news and events to families
• Host a parent or family night  as an opportunity to outline any curriculum additions or special events the school is having to promote diversity

5. Meet diverse learning needs

Uniform standards can’t apply to a diverse classroom, so start working with your teachers to establish different approaches for students with different learning needs. Some suggestions for making sure the classroom stays accessible and equitable:

• Introduce adaptive technologies .  Adaptive technologies  make learning accessible for all students. This can include anything from speech-to-text software, talking calculators for students with dyscalculia, or modified computer accessories for students with physical disabilities.
• Encourage teachers to use different types of instruction and teaching strategies.  Techniques like  project-based learning ,  differentiated instruction  and  blended learning  all allow teachers to help learners with different needs. (For even more ideas about classroom teaching strategies, read our  Ultimate List of Teaching Strategies !)
• Create opportunities for all students to contribute. Within groups, have students take on different roles that fit their strengths. Some students can act as note takers, while others can facilitate the conversation.

6. Hire diversely

The vast majority of teachers in the United States are white and female. According to federal data , 81.6 percent of teachers are white, while just 6.8 percent are black. As a contrast, 47 percent of students are white, while 16 percent are black.

In a 2018 study from the Learning Policy Institute , researchers found that having teachers of color increased the academic performance of students of color.

As a school leader, you can directly impact the diversity of your faculty through hiring and recruitment efforts. Some of the suggestions from the study for hiring a more diverse faculty include:

• Establish programs at the district level that recruit teachers from non-traditional programs and provide financial help and training.
• Improve the data systems that monitor diverse hiring efforts, and reward schools that meet diversity requirements.
• Hire earlier in the year to reach more in-demand candidates
• Support principal preparation programs, including actively recruiting teachers and supporting their professional development

It’s important to always hire the best candidate for the position, regardless of their background. At the same time, work to challenge your biases and assumptions about what makes a candidate qualified. A staff that reflects diversity in the classroom will expose your students to different ideas and teaching styles, and make them stronger as a result.

7. Support professional development opportunities

Your teachers will probably take on the bulk of the day-to-day efforts to promote diversity in the classroom. Offer professional development resources to help them effectively respond to challenges and opportunities.

At Blackstone Valley Prep in Rhode Island , teachers go through specific professional development sessions that illustrate how structural inequalities are present in classroom dynamics, and learn to elevate student voices above their own.

This is especially important considering their student body has a great deal of economic diversity and aims to give at least half of its opening to students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. With professional development, teachers in that school are better equipped to address challenges and confront biases in themselves and in their students.

Here are some great resources and organizations to get you started:

• National Education Association EdJustice : Here you'll find inspiring stories and resources from education justice activists along with ways to take action in your community.
• Beyond Heroes and Holidays : This resource is for teachers, school leaders, students and parents alike. It provides a model for building a culturally responsive curriculum and includes in-service activities, strategies for teaching and offers an analysis of racial inequality in the current school system.
• The Center for Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning  is an organization that offers professional development opportunities for schools, businesses and the general public on becoming culturally responsive, “moving below the superficial focus on culture.” They offer half to multi-day workshops, as well as coaching and online courses.
• Teaching Tolerance  is an organization that helps “teachers and schools educate children and youth to be active participants in a diverse democracy.” The program emphasizes social justice and anti-bias, and offers workshops in a number of major cities as well as free online resources. They also have a team of professional development trainers available to run sessions at the school or district level.

Final thoughts: Diversity in the classroom

Diversity expresses itself in so many different ways, so it can be daunting to try and start conversations around bringing it to the classroom.

The good news? Your school is already full of students and staff with diverse and amazing backgrounds, abilities and skills! All you have to do is start highlighting that diversity.

Start slowly and intentionally. Don’t be afraid to admit when you don’t know the answer, but always try to keep learning and growing. Listen to what others around you are saying, and look for feedback and ways to continuously improve. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but the most important step is getting started.

How Prodigy supports diversity

The certified teachers at Prodigy Education who create the in-game educational content care greatly about equity, diversity and inclusion.

From ethnically-diverse names to choose from, to students' abilities to personalize their avatars to look like them, to questions that go beyond traditional gender norms, our education content creators are always moving toward ensuring that the diverse group of students who play Prodigy are truly represented, and feel included and involved in their learning journey.

And, if your students have existing Prodigy Math accounts, they can modify their avatars even after they've been created.

See for yourself! Create or log in to your free teacher account on Prodigy – a standards-aligned, game-based learning platform for math that’s easy to use for educators and students alike. It’s used by millions of students and teachers.

Diversity in schools and classrooms essay

The world is a huge place; full of people with various cultures and backgrounds. When such people with their differences in language, perception, and understanding come together in a classroom setting, we refer to it as diversity. Diversity can be observed in almost all schools all around the world. It has become a hot topic for educators, since they have been working on creating a system through which they can meet the diverse needs of the students.

Articles on diversity in schools and classrooms Following are five articles from psychology journals, all referring to meeting the diverse needs of students coming from different cultures. Article one: “Our Multicultural Classroom” is an article by Nanette Avery, who teaches in America to Pre-K 8 classroom. She talks about how each year a new student or perhaps more join her class, and these students are from a different background, culture or ethnicity; as compared to the average American child.

In her article she says that it is important to treat each child differently with respect to his diverse needs, but at the same time one should not label them or put them in the front portrayed to be an alien. The problem she talks about is the language differences; not every student is fluent in English due to different cultures. For this she has designed a small English test in which each student writes a poem; just so she can understand the varying English proficiency of each student and then cater to them accordingly.

This particular article was helpful in understanding the fact that while helping students adapt to the different cultural setting, one should not make their differences so obvious, so that they do not feel more awkward. (Avery, 2005) Article two: This article is named Classroom culture and cultural diversity, it is by Olguin. Olguin in his article talks about how a typical school system of most American universities does no address to saving a person’s cultural background, his perceptions; but simply alters the student’s thinking into a typical stereotyped perceptive way of the American society.

Related essays:

• Integrative Education Essay essay
• How To Engage Students Who Receive Special Education Accommodation to Ensure They Have Success in Classroom and Athletics essay
• Multicultural Diversity and Disability in the United States of America essay

Olguin says that in universities, they educate a person according to what they school thinks is right for the student, and changes their thinking into how the school wants the students to think. This is not right because people coming in from various cultures all have a different mind set which should be respected and nourished, rather than making them all into robots who think alike. The syllabus is designed such that it is assumed that everyone who walks into the classroom has a good grip over the American systems and ways; which is not true, as people from all over the world are present.

This causes a lack of understanding and hence poor performance. Olguin says that in his class, he allows for opinions to be expressed and differences to be voiced, so each student understands the cultural diversity; and along side he assigns group projects, so that students learn to respect and understand and work with these differences. I feel this is a really good approach, to create awareness regarding the cultural diversity, to address to it so that each child develops in his own way.

(Olguin, 1991), January) Article three: This article is by Rao Shaila; addressing to the need of a multicultural educational system in order to meet the diversity in classrooms. In this article Shaila has summarized a number of studies taken place regarding the multicultural educational system. It has been identified that there are four dimensions to a multicultural educational system. The first being integration; where knowledge is related to different cultures for better understanding.

The second is construction; where a student is taught how to adapt to the new cultural ways; the third is where the teacher is expected to alter her teaching styles to fit the varying learning styles and needs and the last is empowering, where the student is in the end given the choice to learn; think and educate himself in ways that are most suitable for him. In this article Shaila reviewed a number of studies such as the ones by Banks (1995), and Sleeter and McLaren (1995). Each study had an independent variable being the diversity and the dependent variable was the progress of the students in response to multicultural education.

Basically what the studies have identified was that it is not right to have a standardized syllabus which has to be pushed inside the students minds even at the cost of changing their own ways of thinking. Each child comes from a different background, and hence needs to be treated differently; to be given the right to think and learn in the ways which are best for him. A multicultural education system ensures that such differences are recognized, and the child is given time to adapt to new settings.

Multicultural education does not simply means giving examples from different cultures so that the minorities understand the lecture well, but it allowed the students to develop in unique manners, and not become stereotypical “citizens”. I feel this article is written really strongly. I agree with most of the things stated in this article. The importance of a multicultural education system is immense since all students cannot be assumed to be the same; they have diverse needs which should be catered to effectively for their progress. (Rao, 2005)

Article four: This article is by Robert Shobe. It is called “respecting diversity. ” So in this particular article, he discusses how when he would teach incarcerated male students, he noticed how some students progressed real well, where as others, mostly of the minorities were not doing so well. It diverted his attention towards the cultural diversity which was present in his classroom. He took a survey to better understand this case. The survey was conducted in Indiana, and about 10% of the subjects were African American, Caucasian and Hispanic.

Even though the subject sample was small, it shed some light on the need to understand, respect and cater to the diverse backgrounds that students come from. The results which he obtained were mostly such, that most students from the minority groups, were identified to prefer teachers who understood their needs and catered to them; who did not force them to be like their other fellow Americans. The students from a different background stated they preferred to work alone as then their ideas are not crushed by the overwhelming majority American population.

Basically, in the survey he identified the need for cultural differences awareness. That teachers and fellow students should both have a good understanding of the fact that each person is unique and hence has differences which need to be respected, and not considered wrong. Only with this awareness will the students be able to work in harmony, and the teachers will be able to teach the different groups more effectively. (Shobe, 2003) Article five: Linguistic Diversity and Classroom Management is an article by Mary Elizabeth in which she talks about how in a classroom, there will be students whose first language is not English.

Such students when enter a school where the medium of instruction is English have a very difficult time adapting, if the teachers do not address to cultural diversity and plan their syllabus accordingly. Mary Elizabeth in her article has stated numerous ways in which these students, referred to as English language learners (ELLs) can be dealt with in order to deal with the linguistic diversity that exists due to different backgrounds. One such method she talks about is pairing the students. Each ELLs student can be paired with a student who is fluent in English.

This is will be of great help to the ELL and will help him adapt to the new setting. Another method she outlines is allowing for different students to use their native language wherever necessary. However, I feel this can be a bit too chaotic in a classroom especially if the other students and the teacher have no clue about the students’ native languages. What I strongly agree about from this article is allowing for concessions to be made when it comes to submitting assignments, the deadlines. Mary states that ELLs can be given extra time.

This I feel will make them feel more important and help them learn better. (Curran, 2003) Conclusion After reading the articles mentioned above, I have gained some insight into exactly what cultural diversity refers to and how it should be dealt with. I have understood that it is a very sensitive issue, than can actually make or break ones future. In a school, there are people from different backgrounds, culture, ethnicity, religion, race, cast, language and so forth. This adds diversity to a classroom.

It should not be perceived as negative by the students or the teachers. However, it should be identified and awareness regarding different cultures should be created so that their different ways are not labeled as wrong, but simply as being unique. Multicultural educational systems are important for the success of the students from minority groups. Teachers and students need to understand that different students have different ways of learning and perceptions, which should be encouraged and not compared against a particular culture.

This way each student will be able to develop into a unique individual who will offer different benefits to the society. From the articles, what has been identified is that a cultural awareness needs to be created. Teachers should be more flexible in their teaching styles, and open to different ideas and ways of thinking. This way the student will be able to adapt to new settings in an easier manner, guaranteeing future success. This assignment has increased my insight regarding this topic.

Lesson learnt being that one should never consider a particular culture to be the benchmark against which everyone should be compared. We need to understand that the world is a place full of millions of different people, and to respect their identity and nourish it is of key importance for the benefit of the society.

References Avery, N. (2005). Our Multicultural Classroom. 3. Curran, M. (2003, Fall2003). Linguistic Diversity and Classroom Management. Theory Into Practice, 42(4), 334-340. Retrieved July 11, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.

Integrating Minorities in the Classroom: The Role of Students, Parents, and Teachers

We develop a multi-agent model of the education production function where investments of students, parents, and teachers are linked to the presence of minorities in the classroom. We then test the key implications of this model using rich survey data and a mandate to randomly assign students to classrooms. Consistent with our model, we show that exposure to minority peers decreases student effort, parental investments, and teacher engagement and it results in lower student test scores. Observables correlated with minority status explain less than a third of the reduced-form test score effect while over a third can be descriptively attributed to endogenous responses of the agents.

We thank Ly-yun Chang, Kuan-Ming Chen, Jan Feld, Maggie Jones, Zi Le, Elaine Liu, Jin-Tan Liu, Su-mei Lo, Markus Nagler, Jonah Rockoff, Bruce Sacerdote as well as the seminar and conference participants at Emory University, University of Iowa, National Taiwan University, the Family and Education Workshop, the 6th Empirical Microeconomics Workshop in Banff, the CESIfo Economics of Education Meeting, the Step Up Education Conference in Sydney, the Indigenous Economics Study Group Seminar, the 25th Australian Labour Econometrics Workshop, and the NBER Education Meeting for helpful comments. This research was supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course (Project ID CE200100025). The financial support from the Australian Research Council Discovery Project DP200102547 is gratefully acknowledged by Yves Zenou. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bureau of Economic Research.

MARC RIS BibTeΧ

Download Citation Data

Working Groups

More from nber.

In addition to working papers , the NBER disseminates affiliates’ latest findings through a range of free periodicals — the NBER Reporter , the NBER Digest , the Bulletin on Retirement and Disability , the Bulletin on Health , and the Bulletin on Entrepreneurship  — as well as online conference reports , video lectures , and interviews .

How a DEI Rebrand Is Playing Out in K-12 Schools

• Share article

Should school district mission statements explicitly mention diversity, equity, and inclusion? If a district ensures that all students feel a sense of inclusion and belonging, does it matter how it brands that work? Do all districts need to examine how inequities play out within and outside of school buildings?

These are some of the questions district and state leaders and researchers are grappling with as national debates on the role of DEI initiatives in public education continue, and as DEI more generally sustains a barrage of political attacks that have led some universities to cut DEI jobs and corporations to downplay their embrace of DEI principles .

In public schools, at least 18 states have imposed bans or restrictions on instruction about race, gender, and other related topics. These efforts stem from a September 2020 executive order signed by then-President Donald Trump, which banned certain types of diversity training in federal agencies. President Joe Biden revoked the order, yet momentum for such prohibitions has continued in Republican-led states.

In a 2023 analysis of more than 1,300 mission statements from districts nationwide, the Pew Research Center found that only 34 percent of these documents directly referenced DEI.

Of all the topics in these statements, DEI proved to be the most politically divided. Fifty-six percent of districts in Democratic-voting areas mentioned DEI efforts in their mission statements, compared with only 26 percent in Republican-voting areas.

This complicated political landscape has led some district and state leaders to focus less on explicit references to DEI and more on promoting and supporting work focusing on inclusion and belonging for all students.

Yet even under a rebrand, education leaders need to think carefully about the work involved in making sure their schools actually fulfill the ideals of inclusion and belonging, said Decoteau Irby, an associate professor of educational policy studies and qualitative researcher at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

“In the perfect world, inclusion would be really changing the conditions of the school, a learning environment, such that students know when they walk into a building that they belong there … not only them individually as a person, but that belonging becomes exemplified through the kinds of educational resources and opportunities that are there,” Irby said.

Education leaders in Illinois and Kentucky offer some insights into how they can engage in such holistic efforts while keeping them as broadly politically palatable as possible.

How a mission statement’s terminology matters

Matthew Montgomery, superintendent of the Lake Forest district in Illinois, and a group of fellow district leaders and community members spent weeks poring over the draft language of the district’s updated mission statement earlier this year.

They examined “every single word,” Montgomery said.

There were more than a dozen iterations, trying different words and phrases to get the district’s statement just right, and avoiding any potential political trigger words that could have “distracted from the intent and mission” of the exercise.

Ultimately, what the group landed on—and what the school board in the district located north of Chicago approved—was a statement that incorporates what can be political buzzwords, like “diversity,” “inequities,” and “inclusion,” but in a way that its members felt would appeal to everyone, regardless of political persuasion.

The statement— eight sentences in total —says the district “espouses the importance of fostering an inclusive environment for all students and staff” and that an inclusive environment “encourages the affirmation, appreciation, and exploration of multiple identities and multiple perspectives.”

“We understand that excellent and exemplary school districts foster a culture of inclusion where the lives and needs of all students are validated, recognized, and appreciated, and are centered in the educational experience provided,” the statement said. “[The district] knows that ‘every student has an incredible capacity to learn. Our responsibility is to create an environment that maximizes the possibility for each student’s growth.’”

The focus is not on explicitly referencing specific groups of historically marginalized students. Rather, it aims to encompass the views and experiences of all students, Montgomery said.

“There’s nothing here that anyone can argue is the wrong thing to do for every single student,” said Erin Lenart, the principal of the district’s high school, who helped lead the work on crafting the statement. “What we’re saying is ultimately that we are inclusive of your ideas and views until it becomes exclusive of someone else. If you say that to anyone, they can’t really argue with it.”

Focusing too heavily on making sure one group of students is included can inadvertently make other groups feel singled out or excluded, Lenart said.

“Any time you enter the world of making groups of people feel excluded, then you’re kind of defeating the purpose of some of what you’re trying to accomplish,” Lenart said.

The work to develop the districts’ vision statement is just one piece of a larger mission to fully incorporate every voice, perspective, and lived experience into guiding the schools’ work. But it is emblematic of what district leaders hope to achieve: A district whose work is reflective of every student and community member, without excluding anyone, even if they disagree with one another.

“It’s a fine line to navigate—not necessarily to get a statement approved, that’s not what it’s about—but to make sure that we really are meeting the words of seeing and hearing and valuing every single student in this building,” Lenart said.

Now that the statement is developed and approved, the real work of putting it into action begins, Montgomery said.

Any time you enter the world of making groups of people feel excluded, then you’re kind of defeating the purpose of some of what you’re trying to accomplish.

Montgomery said that will include frequently, consistently, and respectfully communicating with the community; staying focused on the shared vision for students’ success; and getting comfortable with tension, knowing it won’t always be easy work.

“If we say these are our values, that you’re going to be seen and heard and valued, how are we making sure we’re finding a way for every student to feel that as a reality?” he said.

State leadership can set an example for districts

When Thomas S. Tucker was hired as the Kentucky department of education’s deputy commissioner and chief equity officer in 2020, he was tasked with developing an office that would advance the goals set out in the state board of education’s 2019 anti-racism and equity resolution.

His first order of business was to challenge himself and others to think about the purpose of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

He and his team came to define that as: “Regardless of our political beliefs, regardless of what political aisles we represent, we want our kids to have a sense of belonging.”

“We did not make this about ethnicity alone. We didn’t make it about the nebulous term ‘race.’ It covers every aspect of what it is to be American—to respect one’s religion, ideas, and practices; to respect one’s sexual orientation; to respect one’s military or veteran status; to respect one’s socioeconomic status,” Tucker said.

Similar to the Lake Forest district, this broader conceptualization of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, or DEIB, allowed the Kentucky state division to withstand political wars in a politically conservative state, Tucker said. The state is now among the 18 with a law restricting how teachers can teach about race, after the Republican-dominated legislature in 2022 overrode Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto to pass it.

About 17 school districts in the state have hired DEIB officers over the last several years, with some doing so prior to Tucker’s start in 2020. His team now brings these officers together to share ideas on developing and fostering DEIB initiatives across the state.

That work includes: establishing an equity dashboard that allows schools and district leaders to look at aggregated achievement data by student population to discover inequities; challenging educators to use a problem solving analysis tool to address those inequities; offering a Kentucky academy for equity in teaching where school and district staff can use online modules to learn more about self-awareness and others’ awareness of how education systems function to find solutions to inequities; and distributing grants to help schools build out infrastructure for social-emotional learning.

Tucker’s team also reviews graduation requirements that allow students to personalize their coursework in later high school years. Such a structure makes it easier for students to take courses like Advanced Placement African American Studies for graduation credit.

Regardless of our political beliefs, regardless of what political aisles we represent, we want our kids to have a sense of belonging.

One challenge Tucker has faced is helping districts whose students are predominantly from one racial or ethnic group to realize that they too need to engage in work that helps all students belong.

“Many times, folks think that if you do this work, you’re only dealing in the area of race and racism, that this is affirmative action work,” Tucker said.

But a predominantly white school can still face a situation in which schools are disproportionately suspending students with disabilities, or students from low-income households can’t access the same educational opportunities as their higher-income peers, he added.

“If you bring more people to the table, more people see that this is not just a benefit for people of color,” Tucker said. “This is about improving and saving the lives of all young people.”

True inclusion and belonging requires hard work

Irby, the University of Illinois, Chicago, researcher, understands why district and state leaders are moving toward a more generalized branding of DEI work by focusing on inclusion and belonging.

Part of the reason discussions around DEI have tended to focus on race- and ethnicity-based inequities is because “the primary goal of educational institutions specifically is to increase the learning opportunities for students who have historically not received the quality of education, the access, and opportunity that we know from the research provides them with high educational outcomes,” Irby said.

Historically, students of color have been among those underserved students.

Yet DEI work goes beyond race and ethnicity, Irby said. What ultimately matters is how willing school systems are to put in the hard work needed to enact change.

Schools can modify policies to increase the number of Black and Hispanic students taking AP courses, for example. But if the only AP history courses offered focus on European and Western history, that doesn’t necessarily foster an authentic sense of belonging and inclusion for these students, Irby said.

Schools can recognize the importance of making students with disabilities feel included, in part by ensuring students with wheelchairs can physically access school buildings as easily as their peers.

And for LGBTQ+ students, allowing students to use the restroom where they feel most comfortable is a more concrete way of fostering a sense of belonging, Irby added. Of course, this is complicated in the 11 states that have passed laws barring transgender people from using bathrooms consistent with their gender identity in K-12 schools.

While districts may face political backlash for measures aimed at fostering belonging, a silver lining Irby has found through his research is that many districts across the country, including predominantly white districts, are willing to bring about systemic changes that benefit all students.

Sign Up for The Savvy Principal

Edweek top school jobs.

Sign Up & Sign In

The Religious Landscape of Ancient India: Complexity and Diversity

This essay about the religious landscape of ancient India discusses the complex and diverse spiritual traditions that shaped the subcontinent. Starting with the nature worship and fertility cults of the Indus Valley Civilization, it traces the evolution through the Vedic period, which introduced a pantheon of gods and complex rituals detailed in the Vedas. The essay highlights the emergence of transformative philosophies with Jainism and Buddhism, which advocated ethical living and renunciation of materialism. It also covers the philosophical depth of the Upanishads and the development of classical Hinduism, marked by the worship of deities like Vishnu, Shiva, and Shakti. The narrative concludes by appreciating the pluralism and intellectual vitality of ancient Indian religion, emphasizing its enduring global influence and relevance.

How it works

Ancient Indian religious customs comprise a diverse range of spiritual activities and intellectual understandings, all of which add to the larger cultural fabric that characterizes the history of the subcontinent. The religious landscape of ancient India was far from a monolithic entity; rather, it was a dynamic mash-up of rites, beliefs, and deities that changed dramatically over millennia.

In the early phases of Indian civilization, particularly during the Indus Valley Civilization around 2500 BCE, religious life was likely centered around fertility cults, nature worship, and the veneration of a proto-Shiva figure, indicating an early form of Shaivism.

The archaeological remnants from this period, such as seals depicting yogic postures and figures surrounded by animals, suggest a religion that revered both anthropomorphic and theriomorphic forms.

As the Indus Valley Civilization declined and the Vedic period took root (circa 1500 BCE), the religious paradigm shifted dramatically. The Vedas, a collection of hymns and religious texts composed during this era, laid the foundational beliefs of what would become Hinduism. These texts introduced a pantheon of gods and goddesses, each associated with natural elements and cosmic functions. The primary deities included Indra, the king of gods and god of thunder; Agni, the god of fire; and Varuna, the god of water. The rituals described in the Vedas, particularly the elaborate sacrificial rites, underscored the importance of appeasing deities for material benefits and cosmic order.

The subsequent development in ancient Indian religion was marked by the rise of two major schools of thought that challenged the orthodoxy of Vedic rituals—Jainism and Buddhism. Around the 6th century BCE, Mahavira and Gautama Buddha each founded these religions, emphasizing ethical living, renunciation of materialism, and the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment. Jainism introduced the concept of ahimsa (non-violence) and an extreme form of asceticism, while Buddhism presented the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path as a means to end suffering and achieve Nirvana.

Another significant religious development during the later Vedic period was the Upanishads, which shifted focus from external ritual practices to internal spiritual growth and understanding of the self. The Upanishads explore the nature of reality and the concept of Brahman (the ultimate reality) and Atman (the individual soul), proposing a philosophical underpinning to the idea of moksha (liberation from the cycle of rebirth).

The synthesis of these diverse religious practices and philosophical concepts gave rise to classical Hinduism, which emerged around the beginning of the Common Era. This period witnessed the integration of Vedic gods with local deities and the ascendance of major gods such as Vishnu, Shiva, and the goddess Shakti, each with their own elaborate mythology and worship practices. The epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata, including the Bhagavad Gita, played a crucial role in popularizing these deities and philosophical ideas, weaving them into the social and cultural fabric of Indian life.

One of the most amazing features of ancient Indian religion during these changes was its pluralism. Philosophical discussions and spiritual advances developed in a dynamic religious environment made possible by the coexistence and mixing of diverse beliefs and practices. The profound quality of ancient Indian spirituality, which still has an impact on contemporary religious rituals around the world, is highlighted by this eclectic tradition, which also reflects the Indian attitude of tolerance and acceptance.

In conclusion, the religious history of ancient India is a testament to the region’s profound spiritual depth and intellectual vitality. From the ritualistic hymns of the Vedas to the introspective philosophies of the Upanishads, and from the ethical teachings of Jainism and Buddhism to the devotional fervor of Bhakti, each layer of religious expression contributes to the understanding of human existence and the universe. The ongoing relevance of these ancient teachings in contemporary society underscores their enduring wisdom and universal appeal.

Cite this page

The Religious Landscape of Ancient India: Complexity and Diversity. (2024, May 21). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/the-religious-landscape-of-ancient-india-complexity-and-diversity/

"The Religious Landscape of Ancient India: Complexity and Diversity." PapersOwl.com , 21 May 2024, https://papersowl.com/examples/the-religious-landscape-of-ancient-india-complexity-and-diversity/

PapersOwl.com. (2024). The Religious Landscape of Ancient India: Complexity and Diversity . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-religious-landscape-of-ancient-india-complexity-and-diversity/ [Accessed: 21 May. 2024]

"The Religious Landscape of Ancient India: Complexity and Diversity." PapersOwl.com, May 21, 2024. Accessed May 21, 2024. https://papersowl.com/examples/the-religious-landscape-of-ancient-india-complexity-and-diversity/

"The Religious Landscape of Ancient India: Complexity and Diversity," PapersOwl.com , 21-May-2024. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-religious-landscape-of-ancient-india-complexity-and-diversity/. [Accessed: 21-May-2024]

PapersOwl.com. (2024). The Religious Landscape of Ancient India: Complexity and Diversity . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-religious-landscape-of-ancient-india-complexity-and-diversity/ [Accessed: 21-May-2024]

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Hire a writer to get a unique paper crafted to your needs.

Our writers will help you fix any mistakes and get an A+!

Please check your inbox.

You can order an original essay written according to your instructions.

Trusted by over 1 million students worldwide

1. Tell Us Your Requirements

2. Pick your perfect writer

3. Get Your Paper and Pay

Hi! I'm Amy, your personal assistant!

Don't know where to start? Give me your paper requirements and I connect you to an academic expert.

short deadlines

100% Plagiarism-Free

Certified writers

DutchNews.nl - DutchNews.nl brings daily news from The Netherlands in English

Papers slam rise of vat to 21% as a “threat to diversity”.

Over 30 newspapers and news media are calling on the coalition partners to scrap plans to increase value added tax on newspapers from 9% to 21% from 2026, saying it will limit access to investigative journalism for people on low incomes.

In a full page advertisement, the media said the rise will cause subscriptions to fall and further “a growing news chasm”.

The rise will also have financial consequences for papers, particularly smaller and regional titles and “threaten the diverse character of journalism in the Netherlands”, the editors of the Volkskrant, NRC, Trouw, AD, Telegraaf and the regional papers said.

The editors called on the parties to scrap the rise “now you still can”.

A 21% tax rate would put the Netherlands among the European countries with the highest VAT on papers, along with Bulgaria.

The rise agreed on by PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB came as “a complete surprise”,  Corine de Vries, chairwoman of the Dutch association of editors, told broadcaster NOS . “I don’t get it. The parties are saying reading and writing skills are important but then they make papers, magazines and books more expensive,” she said.

VAT will also go up on tickets for theatres, museums and and concerts but not for amusement parks and cinemas.

The association of independent theatre producers VVTP said it hoped the increase would be scrapped.

Most theatergoers go to musicals and other large-scale productions and a rise in VAT would hit cultural entrepreneurs who do not get any subsidies hardest, a spokesman told RTL Nieuws .

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Help us to keep providing you information about coronavirus in the Netherlands.

Many thanks to everyone who has donated to DutchNews.nl in recent days!

We could not provide this service without you. If you have not yet made a contribution, you can do so here.

The DutchNews.nl team

Dutchnews Survey

Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey.