We read 11 articles (Ryan Text pgs.36-51) about cultural and ethnic issues in our education system. We chose to focus on the obvious disparity between the ethnic diversity of the teaching population and the student body and the challenges this presents our learners and our teachers. We feel that if the teaching population diversifies, than conditions will ripen for a more healthy education environment.

• We will look at the numbers first.
• Then two similar stories that showcase different perspectives on culture
• Finally, recap the disparity issue in general

image from pg.17 of Foundations of American Education.

-Today 1 in 3 US residents is a racial or ethnic minority, and 45% of kids under 5 are from that group.- (Ryan Text pg.36) Latinos are the fastest growing Ethnic Minority group with 49% of the population growth from 2004-2005. And Latinos are driving 70% of the growth in children under 5 Yrs old. The minority is quickly becoming the majority only in the student body!

-The ethnic Disparity between teachers and student bodies is most pronounced in urban school districts. In 14 urban school districts in the US including Detroit, NY, Denver, Houston, LA, Clevland, Baltimore, 70% of 4 million students graduate each spring. 7000 students are dropping out each day. In these districts, nearly 9 of 10 teachers are white/anglo. (Ryan Text pg.36)

Lets look at Ethnic Diversity and the role it plays in Culture. After our diversity disparity is also a cultural issue.

I have a friend who just finished a book of essays. One of the essays is called "Characteristics of Community" where he describes the conditions that are present in a healthy community instead of trying to merely describe what a healthy community is. He is coming from the perspective of farming and uses the example of humus as a healthy culture. We can barely understand scientifically the complexity and diversity of life in humus, but we understand that it is the best possible soil based on it's production yields. Diversity is a condition of health.



I like camping and take pride in building fires. I was building a fire in our fire pit and was feeling a little lazy one day and decided I'd use some lighter fluid instead of my usual technique. And I sprayed fluid all over the wood which promptly caught on fire. However, the flames died out leaving the pile of wood hopelessly smoldering. There were conditions absent from the situation that did not allow the flames to sustain themselves. The conditions for a self-sustaining fire are more than fire itself.



Cultures live together in tolerance, but don't necesarily fit together seamlessly. This is most obvious in the classroom where the overwhelming majority of teachers are from a homogenous dominant upper middle class culture and the student body is a growing minority. This disparity is a condition of a sick education system and society.



Each of our perspectives are different as teachers, and it is our duty to do what we can to present different cultural perspectives whether through experience or through media. What conditions must be present in order for a healthy cultural and ethnic diversity to grow in our Education system? This is not something that we can hope better funding will change. The diversity of ethnic communities must re-weave themselves to fit together without becoming a monoculture.