What is Diversity?

Diversity is defined as 1: the condition of having or being composed of differing elements ... the inclusion of people of different races, cultures, etc. in a group or organization. The main challenge in education is that there is not a diverse group of leaders and educators, yet these leaders are the ones expected to teach diverse learners.

Diversity in Teacher Representation

 According to 2015-2016 NCES, elementary and secondary public schools that had more racial diversity among the student population also had more diversity among their teachers.  Further, schools with 90 percent diverse population had 55% of teachers that were diverse compared to only 2% of teachers serving less diverse populations.  When there is diverse representation of teacher leadership in schools, there has been a positive and significant impact on the academic achievement for students of color. Through systemic racism, prejudices, and biases that exist in society, children of color often  suffer at the hands of those that are paid to protect them and help them succeed. Students of color are denied opportunities for higher learning. For instance, there are less children of color enrolled as gifted learners or signed up for Advanced Placement courses. 

Students of Color Lack Equitable Access to Advanced Placement Courses

NCES revealed that the percentage of Asian and White high school students who would be seniors by 2013 enrolled in Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate (AP/IB) higher than any other ethnic group. “Research shows that compared with white students, black students are more likely to be suspended or expelled, less likely to be placed in gifted programs, and subject to lower expectations from their teachers.”  

School to Prison Pipeline for Students of Color

Students of color tend to have teachers that do not look like them and as a result, can face school to prison pipeline. Children who go to school as students of color in high school are more likely to be arrested during a school day than their White peers. NCES reported that over 13% of Black students received suspensions compared to 3.4% White students and 1.1% Asian students. 

In order to embrace diversity, educational leaders should choose to remove unconscious biases that exclude students from having  choose to believe that all students can learn should continue to set high expectations for their students of color. If teachers have biases, they must learn to conquer those biases through unlearning and becoming uncomfortable so they can embrace all students no matter their background or ethnicity. 

Lower Expectations for Students of Color Affect Academic Performance

Due to implicit and explicit biases, some teachers have been known to unintentionally express lower expectations of academic performance towards students of color, painting for them a negative perceived bias that tends to become a reality. According to a research study by Johns Hopkins University, “teacher expectations reflect racial biases.” For instance, “When evaluating the same black students, white teachers expect significantly less academic success than do black teachers, …" “When a black teacher and a white teacher evaluate the same black student, the white teacher is about 30 percent less likely to predict the student will complete a four-year college degree, the study found.” White teachers are almost 40 percent less likely to expect their black students will graduate high school.” 

Decisions Made from Biases that Hinder Academic Growth

Further, some educators have made decisions from biases that have unfortunately kept students of color out of classes that could promote academic achievement, (i.e. advanced placement courses, gifted courses, challenging STEM courses and more).  Teachers should intentionally work at making sure that their efforts to promote diversity are not just heard but seen throughout their classroom and in their school. Teachers can do this by learning how to advocate for students of color and supporting them in higher education endeavors. When teachers see or hear of ethical situations in education where colleagues are making decisions that would impact students of color in a negative manner, they should fight for equitable ethics and practices and should choose to advocate for these learners. 

Here are some ways that teachers can promote diversity in their math classrooms:

Ways to Promote Diversity in the Math Classroom 

1. Intentionally Have Students of Color Lead in Class Activities.
2. Celebrate Ethnic Backgrounds of Learners
3. Use Leaders of Color in STEM fields to motivate students during the lesson and as a point of reference
4. Highlight diverser representation found within teaching curricilum and resources

Conclusion

It can be a difficult task to start when trying to cultivate diversity in your classroom. However, as you intnetionally find ways to have students of color lead in the classroom, celebrate ethnic identities of your learners, highlight and educate all students about leaders of color in STEM fields, you will find that it will all begin to work out smoothly.