Running head: THE NEW PLURALITY NATION

The New Plurality Nation

Virginia Reidy
1-30-16
Culture and Inclusion, Reflection #1
Alderson

THE NEW PLURALITY NATION

The New Plurality Nation

Write a reflection on the impacts of shifting cultural, linguistic, demographic and socioeconomic
trends based on in-class presentations and discussions, what you have read in and outside of
class and your professional experience as an educator. Please focus on specific challenges and
opportunities for public schools at the local, state and national level.
Schools characterized by a culturally and linguistically diverse student population are
soon to be the norm rather than the exception for new teachers of the twenty-first century
(Garca, 2002, p. 5).

In his book, Student Cultural Diversity, Understanding and Meeting the Challenge,
Eugene Garca succinctly summarizes the challenge our nation faces in providing a strong,
ethical, equitable education to all of its children. The rapidly changing tapestry of our nation is
should be affecting education policy, funding, curriculum development, and teacher training at
the national, state and local levels.

In 2012, then Acting Director of the U.S. Census Bureau, Thomas L. Mesenbourg,
backed by his 40 year career at the Bureau had this to say regarding the latest published
population statistics for the United States: The next half-century marks key points in continuing
trends the U.S. will become a plurality nation, where the non-Hispanic white population
remains the largest single group, but no group is in the majority.

The non-white population is projected to peak in 2024, while the Hispanic, Asian, Native
Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander populations will more than double. American Indians and

THE NEW PLURALITY NATION

Alaska Natives populations will increase by half, and the black population will increase by over
20 million, increasing their share of the total population by over 1%. In the same time period,
people identifying themselves as being from two or more races is projected to triple,
http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/population/cb12-243.html and
http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/00.

Given these national statistics, I cant help but agree with Garca when he says, In the
next few decades, it will be virtually impossible for a professional educator to serve in a public
school setting, or even in any private school context, in which the students are not racially,
culturally, or linguistically diverse (p. 23).

As I read and understand more about how the U.S. has historically tried to educate all of
its children, I feel that our policy makers are behind-the-eight-ball instead of at the forefront of
the issues, or as Garca refers to it, crisis intervention (p. 44). Acts such as the EEOA, BEA
and the original ESEA address the issue of equal education and minority education more as
band aids rather than integrated, pervasive policy. I think at the time these acts were written
and implemented, minority and immigrant students were viewed as them, not us. Garca
explains that to create effective policy change, the concepts of knowledge-base of the issues,
consultation with professionals in the field, cohesiveness of policies and programs at the
national, state and local levels, and acknowledgment of demographic and budgetary realities
must all be taken into consideration. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is an example of topdown policy that didnt largely address these concepts, forcing a one-size-fits-all method on

THE NEW PLURALITY NATION

schools. The new, 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act still holds schools accountable, but allows
for more flexible programs and more state control of funds, http://www.ed.gov/essa.

California has already surpassed many of the U.S. projected shifts in ethnic population,
already making us a minority majority state. As of 2014, the Hispanic population is continuing
to grow (38.6%) and is greater than the white, non-Hispanic population (38.5%), which is
decreasing. The Asian population is another rapidly growing sector and constitutes 14.4% of
Californias population, while the black population has also increased slightly since the 2010
census, to 6.4%, http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/RHI125214/06,00.

These shifting demographics pose unique and present challenges for California schools.
According to the California Department of Education, ELL students comprise 22.3 % of total
enrollment in California public schools, with the majority of those students, 73%, enrolled in
grades kindergarten through 6th. Although data is collected for over 60 languages, the top 10
languages spoken are Spanish, 83.7%, Vietnamese, 2.3%, Filipino (or Tagalog), 1.4%, Mandarin,
1.4%, Cantonese, 1.3%, Arabic, 1.2%, Hmong, 0.9%, Korean, 0.8%, Punjabi, 0.7%, and Russian,
0.6%, http://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sd/cb/cefelfacts.asp. Imagine facing a classroom of students
where even three of these languages were spoken at home as a first language.

The sad, riches-to-rags story of the public education system in California (at one time
ranked 7th in the state in per-student spending, now ranked 36th), is one more of dwindling
funding than lack of expertise and initiative. For example, California legislation has mandated
special education services for language and minority students in five important categories,

THE NEW PLURALITY NATION

compared to many states that have little to no legislation in these areas. Broadly speaking, these
categories include implementing instruction in a language other than English, establishing
special qualifications for the certification of professional LEP instructional staff, providing
school districts with supplementary funding to support LEP programs, mandating cultural
component of LEP programs and requiring parental consent for enrollment of students in LEP
programs (p. 53).

There is a constant and growing need for programs supporting these policies, but budget
constraints make it difficult to meet all the demands. Proposition 98 is an example of legislation
that continues to support programs in the California public schools,
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/sa/prop98.asp.

California teacher preparation programs are rigorous and thorough, but are expensive and
dont attract enough minority teachers. I consider myself fortunate to be able to participate in the
mandatory CLAD through CTEL program, but know some excellent educators who are unable to
afford the time and money it takes to become certified. To equip California teachers to meet the
needs of minority and ELL students, professional development needs to be mandatory, available
and affordable, and not just for new graduates. In her essay, The Silenced Dialogue, Lisa Delpit
says, I am also suggesting that appropriate education for poor children and children of color can
only be devised in consultation with adults who share their culture. Black parents, teachers of
color, and members of poor communities must be allowed to participate fully in the discussion of
what kind of instruction is in their childrens best interest (p. 45). California is challenged to
figure out appropriate ways to accomplish these goals.

THE NEW PLURALITY NATION

With local school districts gaining more control of funding through the Every Student
Succeeds Act, comes a responsibility to fund programs that support minority and ELL students,
develop their staffs to be effective teachers of these students and keep families informed about
their childs education. A challenge is that the areas where the most funding is needed include the
highest concentration of minority, immigrant and poor children. My school district includes
many wealthy families that support an education fund that supplements school revenues. They
bridge the gap between district needs and state funding, http://scefkids.org/who-we-are-2/.
This years goal is $2,400.000, they will certainly meet. In the neighboring school district,
which is double in size, the goal for the education fund is $1,000,000, a stretch for the families
there. In a school just across the Bay, families cant afford to contribute to an education fund.
The school is in bad need of repair, and the resources very limited. How can we expect
consistent results at the local level with such huge disparities in schools only a few miles apart?

As we become a plurality nation, we must simultaneously strive to become an equality

nation as well.

Resources
Census.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2016, from http://www.census.gov/ Delpit, L. D.
(1995). Other people's children: Cultural conflict in the classroom. New York: New Press.

Delpit, L. D. (1995). Other people's children: Cultural conflict in the classroom. New York: New
Press.

THE NEW PLURALITY NATION

Every Student Succeeds Act. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2016, from http://www.ed.gov/
Facts about English Learners in California - CalEdFacts. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2016,
from http://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sd/cb/cefelfacts.asp

Garca, E. E., & Garca, E. E. (1999). Student cultural diversity: Understanding and meeting the
challenge. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Proposition 98. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2016, from

http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/sa/prop98.asp

San Carlos Education Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2016, from
http://scefkids.org/