Running head: ACHIEVING 1

Achieving Equity in the Classroom

Olga M. Herget

EDU604 Diversity Issues in 21st Century Education

Dr. Michele Herrera

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Achieving Equity in the Classroom

Since the inception of the United States public school system, educators, lawmakers, and

the public have debated the concept of fairness in the classroom. In recent years, current and

future demographic trends have made multicutural education part of the educational reform

discussion. The face of America has changed drastically over the past one hundred years. In the

early 20th century, most immigrants were of European descent with the top three groups being

Germans (5.9 million), Italians (4.7 million), and Irish (4.6 million). As the 20th century

progressed, immigration patterns shifted and by the late 1990’s the United States had a

population of 6 million Asians and 29 million Hispanic/Latinos (Gordon, 2012). By 2050, the

number of Asians is expected to increase 220% and Hispanic/Latinos are expected to represent

one out of every three Americans (Shrestha & Heisler, 2011). As people travel to the United

States in search of freedom and opportunity, they bring with them beliefs and traditions from

their homelands. It is important to note that cultural norms define and bring meaning to life, as

well as provide the means to represent a sense of morality, safety and belonging within a group

(Cultural Norms, 2002, para. 1). The changing American population has created a palpable

difference in how people communicate, interact, and work with one another throughout the

nation. The culture of America is changing and the educational field must meet the needs of all

children regardless of race, ethnic background, or socioeconomic status. Currently, the public

school system is failing to support many children by adhering to a monocultural instruction

model. Equity in the classroom requires schools to provide all student with the tools and

instruction needed to learn and thrive (Safir, 2016). Educators can promote equity through

challenging implicit bias, understanding the role culture takes in learning, and preparing students
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for classroom inclusion.

Implicit Bias and its Effect on Students

In 2015-2016 the National Teacher and Principal Survey, which collects information from

all fifty states and Washington, D.C., reported “About 80 percent of all public school teachers

were non-Hispanic White, 9 percent were Hispanic, 7 percent were non-Hispanic Black, and 2

percent were non-Hispanic Asian” (Dwyer, 2017, para. 2-3). These numbers reflect a non-

diverse teacher pool, which may be ill- prepared, misinformed, or prejudice toward certain racial

or ethnic groups. Many individuals have difficulty discussing racism because it is viewed as an

“all or nothing” situation and often causes guilt or shame. People often deny feelings of racism,

while ignoring that human beings have an unconscious thought process, which is affected by

daily life experiences. Any interaction or event can contribute toward creating bias toward a

group of people (TedxTalks, 2011). Implicit bias can affect both teacher actions and decisions

such as how an educator defines and manages behavior problems in the classroom (Staats, 2016).

The educational journal, Social and Emotional Learning and Equity in School Discipline,

provides the following information

The discipline gap between black and white students starts as early as preschool. National

data from 2013–14 show that although only 19 percent of preschool children are black,

they represent 47 percent of preschool children who receive one or more out-of-school

suspensions (Gregory & Fergus, 2017, p.119).

In addition, teachers must understand differences go beyond skin color. Hawley and Nieto make

an excellent point stating “when we focus on race alone, we sometimes see only black and white,

neglecting the wide range of ethnicities in our schools and society (2010, p.1). Educators can
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begin to explore personal bias by taking the Implicit Association Test to become aware of

unconscious associations they may have toward certain groups of people (Staats, 2016).

Additionally, professional development of teachers can help educators recognize their own

biases and inform on multicultural perspectives by facilitating open communication within a safe

environment (Anderson, 2014). Recognizing personal bias can stop educators from stereotyping

based on skin color or ethnicity. The benefits of challenging bias are increased self-awareness,

better communication with parents, and a reduction of the achievement gap experienced by many

minority groups (Fiarman, 2016).

The Role of Culture in Learning

Equitable learning is key to preparing students to participate and thrive as adults at the

global level. To create and sustain an equitable learning environment an educator must recognize

cultural differences and be aware how they may affect cognitive development and achievement

motivation of students (Crothers, 2018, p.4). One example of variance can be seen in the

contrasting ideas of individualism versus collectivism. At the foundation of U.S. culture is a

stressed importance of individual achievement, flexible roles, and the promotion of self-

expression. In sharp contrast, many immigrant cultures value interdependence, have set familial

roles, and require adherence to group values (Trumbull, Rothstein-Fisch, & Greenfield, 2000).

An example of the difference between cultural norms is reflected in how certain groups define

achievement. In Western cultures, achievement is valued for supporting future success, while in

Eastern cultures; achievement signifies bringing honor to one’s family (Trumbull & Rothstein-

Fisch, 2011). Cultural differences can also exist outside of the classroom environment, at times

creating an inaccurate representation of an ethnic group’s value system

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Parents from some Hispanic cultures tend to regard teachers as experts and will often

defer educational decision making to them (Valdés, 1996). In contrast, European

American parents are often more actively involved in their children's classrooms, are

visible in the classrooms, or volunteer and assist teachers These cultural differences in

value and belief may cause educators to make inaccurate judgments regarding the value

that non–European American families place on education (Rosenberg, Westling, &

McLeskey, 2010, para 4).

It is evident that culture dictates values within a set group of people. Culture also affects learning

style within the classroom setting. Familial interaction and prior experience tend to dictate

learning preference from a young age. According to Billings

The typical American classroom, in which individuality and competition are emphasized,

can be incongruous with their home or earlier school experiences. For instance, in some

cultural groups, including among African Americans, raising a child is the work of an

entire extended family or community, and hence authority and knowledge is more

distributed than in most European-American families. Likewise, some East Asian

cultures emphasize consensus building and working together for the common (2018, p 3).

Educators who are aware of these dissimilarities do not force learners to fit one mold or set

expectation, but rather expand on students’ cultural strengths. In summation, educators can

support equity by acknowledging cultural differences, preserving what is unique to each culture,

and creating fair learning opportunities for all (Getstartednl, 2011).

Support in the Classroom

The large influx of immigrants to the United States has produced an increase in the ELL
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school population. The percentage of public school students in the United States who were ELLs

in 2014–2015, was almost 10% or an estimated 4.6 million students (English Language, n.d.).

One common misconception about immigrant children is that they all enter the school system

with similar background experiences. Educators must be mindful how varied socioeconomic and

educational backgrounds will affect each child’s opportunities and school capabilities. Some

children arrive to the United States lacking the ability to read or write in their own language,

while others have attended top learning institutions in their homeland. Children who have missed

critical school years are not only behind academically, but they also lack the knowledge of how

to learn (Suárez-Orozco & Suárez-Orozco, 2002). There are different types of support programs

for ELL students such as transitional-bilingual and dual-language immersion. Equity for these

children requires schools to truly assess the academic ability of each child and place them into

the correct educational program, monitor progress, and not retain them to help new students

(Suárez-Orozco & Suárez-Orozco, 2002, p.142). Furthermore, these programs will only be

successful if they are well designed and offer a sense of community to the ESL learner (Suárez-

Orozco, Yoshikawa, Tseng & William, 2015).

Educators can support ELL learners once they enter mainstream classrooms by using

different strategies in the classroom such as limiting use of idioms, promoting peer interaction,

and using cognates during instruction (Robertson, 2014). A recent web seminar further

explained how important it is for educators to keep ELL students involved in their learning.

The needs of our English language learners range from acquiring basic interpersonal

communication skills to acquiring academic literacy skills for success in all content. Our

responsibility to ELL learners is not just to teach them the content, but also to get them to
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speak, read and write the language (Kalinowski, & Jones, 2018).

CONCLUSION

As the United States continues to evolve into a diverse nation, educators must find

methods to provide equitable learning to all learners. Cultural differences and language barriers

can impede learning and cause students to fall behind academically. Furthermore, teacher bias

supports a cultural deficit theory, which blames children and their home environment for poor

academic performance (Lynch, 2016). To provide equity in the classroom, people must respect

each other, recognize differences, and practice cultural competency. Educators should have open

conversations about race and ethnicity to help avoid preconceived notions about students’

academic ability. Discussions need to occur at the nationwide level to inform both educators and

students about how to embrace other cultures and appreciate how each group’s unique story can

contribute to the learning environment.

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