Diversity in Society Chapter 2

Learning Outcomes Describe culture and some of its characteristics Identify the dominant culture and how it influences other cultures Understand three theories and ideologies that describe how schools should respond to students who are not from the dominant culture Identify microcultural groups Understand that student learning is influenced by language, culture, family and community values

Diversity and Culture Diversity…the wide range of differences among people, families, and communities based on their cultural and ethnic backgrounds as well as physical and academic abilities Culture…socially transmitted ways of thinking, believing, feeling, and acting within a group of people that are passed from one generation to the next

Diversity and Culture Includes socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, religion, language, gender, sexual orientation, academic and physical ability, age, and geography…all these things can and do influence us Children learn how to think, feel, speak, and behave through the culture in which they are raised

Culture and Society Everyone has the same biological and psychological needs, but the ways in which we meet these needs are culturally determined. Culture is learned, shared, adapted, and dynamic and learned through enculturation

Dominant/Mainstream Culture The one most financially successful families have grown up in or adopted (cultural capital) Many low-income families have similar values, but not the finances to support a similar lifestyle (but not all families do) Mass media and international communications are creating a universal culture…TV and movies teach a common culture

Microcultural Groups One-third of the nation’s students are students of color…soon to be 40% (2020) and half by 2050. Already a majority in California, Texas, and the nation’s largest cities Power is a key in understanding dominant culture and microcultural groups’ relations…who has the power and how is it used

Diversity and Education Concerns about equality and inequality…the intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, and class as they relate to individual and group identity Socioeconomic status…the economic condition of individuals based on their (or their parents’) income, occupation, and educational attainment

Assimilation A process by which an immigrant or culturally distinct group is incorporated into the dominant culture First step is learning the cultural patterns of the dominant group, and the final stage is structural assimilation…interacting with the dominant group at all levels, including marriage

Assimilation Melting pot theory described the egalitarian state as a core value of democracy…people of color because of racist ideology preventing from “melting” or becoming structurally assimilated The guiding principle in most schools Acculturation, learning of the dominant culture through immersion is the prevailing strategy Cultural deficit theory blame those who don’t “fit” with deficiencies in their home environment (single parents, teenage moms etc.)

Pluralism The maintenance of cultures as parallel and equal to the dominant culture in society Societies which maintain distinct cultural patterns, including languages, value and promote pluralism…currently the U.S. is not one of these societies because parity and equality between groups isn’t valued “Public schools generally teach only the dominant culture.”

Cultural Choice The freedom to choose and adapt the characteristics from one’s own and other cultures in developing one’s own cultural identity Knowing when it is appropriate to use the patterns of each Many people of color are acculturated, but discrimination keeps them from being structurally assimilated even if they want it. Strong identity with their cultural group provides solidarity to combat inequities

Socioeconomic Status Social stratification…levels of social class ranking based on income, education, occupation, wealth, and power in society High or low rankings not just based on SES criteria. Race, age, gender, religion, disability also are contributors Class structure…working class, middle class, upper middle class, upper class

Poverty $18,104 for a family of four…31.1 million persons in the U.S. live in poverty (11%) 16% of children…double that of most other major industrialized nations 68% of those living in poverty are white, only 9% of whites live below the poverty line

Race and Ethnicity Race and ethnicity are linked but are not the same thing. Race is not accepted as a scientific concept, but it is a social construction for identifying differences Skin color is a signifier of race, but many states declared a person nonwhite historically if they had any percentage of nonwhite heritage Whites seldom think of color for themselves. White has become the “norm.” So many whites have trouble understanding “white privilege” National origin is the primary determinant of ethnicity

Ethnic Diversity 58% identify with a single ancestry, 22% with multiple ancestries, 20% do not identify an ancestry “The groups that are most oppressed in this country are those who are indigenous or whose ancestors entered the country involuntarily.

Language Diversity “Educators need to recognize that miscommunications between themselves and students may be due to inaccurate decoding rather than lack of linguistic ability.” Learning English may take young people only a couple of years, but five to seven to reach proficiency necessary for academic success

Gender “…the major difference between boys and girls is the way adults respond to them.” Families headed by single women are more likely to be living in poverty than any other group. (more than 27%) Many working- class males develop patterns of resistance to school and its authority figures because schooling is perceived as feminine and as emphasizing mental rather than physical work

Title IX Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments is the major legislation that addresses the civil rights of girls and women in the education system. The most controversial part of Title IX is the provision for equal opportunity in athletics 847% increase in high school sports by females since Title IX

Sexual Orientation Established early in life Between 5 and 10% of the population is estimated to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender…many cultural groups place high value on heterosexuality 83% of LGBT students report verbal harassment, 65% sexually harassed, 42% physically harassed, 21% physically assaulted…70% fear for their safety in schools

Exceptionalities 49 million people, 19% of the population over the age of five, have a disability Some school systems require a decision whether a child is diploma-bound by the end of kindergarten (72% of people with disabilities have a high school diploma and 11% have a college diploma)

Inclusion The integration of all students, regardless of their background or abilities, in all aspect of the educational process IEP…individualized educational plan Inclusion regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, class, religion, physical or mental ability or language

Religion Although 88% of the population regard their religious beliefs as very or fairly important, less than half attend a religious service on a weekly basis 56% of the population is Protestant, 2% Jewish, 27% Catholic, many immigrants of the last two decades are Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist

Geography Rural…17% now in poverty (invisible poor to the larger population Suburban…half of the U.S. population (20% of suburban children live in poverty) Urban…many immigrants live in urban areas and high percentages of student populations are students of color