How important is cultural diversity at your school?

How important is cultural diversity at your school?

Attending a school with a diverse student body can help prepare your child for citizenship in a multicultural democracy.

As the United States becomes a more culturally and ethnically diverse nation, public schools are becoming more diverse, too.

A growing trend

The Census Bureau projects that by the year 2100, the U.S. minority population will become the majority with non-Hispanic whites making up only 40% of the U.S. population. No doubt students will need to learn how to interact in a diverse environment. Jean Snell, clinical professor of teacher education at the University of Maryland, believes cultural diversity enhances the school experience, too. "There is a richness that comes from students working side by side with others who are not of the same cookie-cutter mold," she notes.

Students who attend schools with a diverse population can develop an understanding of the perspectives of children from different backgrounds and learn to function in a multicultural, multiethnic environment. Yet, as public schools become more diverse, demands increase to find the most effective ways to help all students succeed academically as well as learn to get along with each other. Teachers are faced with the challenge of making instruction "culturally responsive" for all students while not favoring one group over another. A 2007 study by Public Agenda and the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality found that 76% of new teachers say they were trained to teach an ethnically diverse student body but fewer than 4 in 10 say their training helps them deal with the challenges they face.

Schools must take a proactive approach to acknowledging diversity

A parent needs to look beyond the numbers to evaluate a school's approach to diversity.  To create a positive environment where students and teachers are respectful of different backgrounds, schools have to be proactive. "Above all, schools shouldn't just do nothing," says Rosemary Henze, associate professor of linguistics and language development at San Jose State University in California and author of Leading for Diversity: How School Leaders Promote Positive Interethnic Relations.

Structured classroom activities can highlight diversity.  She suggests that teachers structure their teaching to acknowledge different perspectives. For example, in a history lesson about the Vietnam War, they should draw attention to the perspectives of North as well as South Vietnamese citizens, the feelings of the soldiers and diverse views of Americans. In a classroom the teacher can structure learning groups that are diverse and devise activities that require each student to contribute to the group. In this way students learn that each person in a group can contribute and has something of value to say.

Mutual respect is part of the equation.  Henze believes teachers should never tolerate disrespect. They should establish ground rules for the class, and even let the kids help to establish these rules.

She also believes the principal has a huge role in creating an environment where people respect the opinions of others and are open to multiple perspectives on any issue. This should be modeled for students, and in relations with faculty and staff, as well.

No Child Left Behind shines the light on achievement gaps among diverse groups of students.  The federal No Child Left Behind law has put pressure on schools to see that all students succeed, regardless of their ethnic or language background. Schools are required to meet state "adequate yearly progress" (AYP) goals for their total student populations and for specified demographic subgroups, including major ethnic/racial groups, economically disadvantaged students, limited English proficient (LEP) students, and students with disabilities. If these schools fail to meet AYP goals for two or more years, they are classified as schools "in need of improvement" and face consequences. A broad approach works best to address achievement gaps.

Belinda Williams, an education researcher and co-author of Closing the Achievement Gap: A Vision for Changing Beliefs and Practices, advises school leaders to implement a broad range of strategies to improve teaching and learning, rather than instituting quick fixes to address the achievement gap. The book argues that educators must become more sensitive to the world views of disadvantaged students — and incorporate this awareness into their day-to-day work.

Henze sees value in organizing special events at the school that raise awareness about diversity but warns that "these events should be built into the fabric of the school, rather than being a one-shot deal."

Schools should strive to create an environment where all children feel valued and all children can learn. Snell says the principal should set the tone by having a policy of "no excuses." If there is a problem with a particular student, she says principals and teachers should ask themselves, "What do we need to do to ensure that this child is engaged in learning?" and "What more can we do?" This may mean following up to see that the student has the proper place to study, healthy meals and all the support he needs.

Summary

The article deals with the concept of melting pot which means that USA is a country of variety of different cultures and ethnic groups. The schools have to start working with this concept of multiculturalism at a very early stage so that children can learn quickly and adopt to grow with all kind of people from different religious and cultural backgrounds.

Therefore, the teachers in the school have to recognize the diversity of cultures and they have to be proactive and help all the children learn in the same ways and also learn other cultures. The teachers create activities in the class for groups and all the children can participate and respect each other. All this is important to the children learning in order to achieve success. The schools should strive to create an environment where all children feel valued and all children can further their education.

Conclusion

In conclusion of the article, we believe that going to a school with a diverse student can help prepare children for citizenship in a multicultural democracy.

Public schools are increasingly diverse in reference to diversity. Cultural diversity also improves school experience.

Students who go to schools with students of different ethnicities develop more compression of different origins. This helps them to function in a multicultural and multiethnic environment.

The fact that it has more ethnic groups, it makes education cost effective to support for all students. This creates more problems for academic success.

In order to make diversity good in all aspects, teachers are those who have to set an example for students. Teachers need to show respect to all and must not tolerate disrespect. In addition, teachers are the ones to ensure the success of students regardless of ethnicity or language.

Finally, we believe that diversity is good for schools and especially for students.

                                                                                           

                                                                                             by Carla Hortigón and Dafne Gallardo 

Digital Bullying

Tackling the terror of digital bullying

Today’s school bully looks very different to the bully of 20 years ago and can do much more harm, but there are resources that can help schools stamp out cyberbullying Lawrence Royston

Earlier this year, during a debate on childhood and the internet in Westminster, Shadow Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, Helen Goodman, said that laws around online abuse were confusing and that better protection for under eighteens was needed. She went on to say that the UK needs a ‘clear legal framework’ to tackle the problem of cyberbullying and the suicides of vulnerable young people and that it is the responsibility of legislators to tackle this issue. Sitting behind computer keyboards, pseudonyms and anonymous websites, the internet has provided a digital veil for students to terrorise others without being held accountable for their actions. The school bully of the 21st Century looks very different to the bully of 20 years ago; he or she is the faceless, nameless cyberbully. Not interested in making a child the butt of his jokes or stealing lunch money, the bully is now focused on stealing something far more precious, a young person’s aspirations and confidence, and blemishing their good name.

Warning signs

Fortunately, there is plenty of support out there for parents and teachers who fear their children or students may be experiencing cyberbullying. Helpguide.org has published a useful reference Guide for teachers and parents to help them spot the signs of cyberbullying. Kidscape.org also lists a number of telltale signs that could indicate a child is being bullied. Both sites ask, for example, does your student:

• ·         Seem sad, angry, distressed or anxious during or after using the internet or a mobile device?
• ·         Become secretive about computer or mobile activities?
• ·         Withdraw from friends and activities they previously enjoyed?
• ·         Show changes in mood, behaviour, sleep, appetite, or signs of anxiety?
• ·         Suffer an unexplained drop in exam results?
• ·         Become withdrawn, start stammering, or lack confidence?
• ·         Begin truanting?

If the answer is yes to one or more of the above, it suggests a student may be a victim of cyberbullying, or indeed any form of bullying, and should encourage teachers to investigate further.

Tackling the issue

Cyberbullying is increasingly becoming a problem in modern day schools, with 38% of young people having been affected by it according to research by the NSPCC. On this basis, schools need to be vigilant and able to effectively address the issue head on.

Know the school’s policies: First, a school may need to readdress its own procedures and policies, particularly if they are a few years old, to ensure they reference cyberbullying. Many

of the schools I have worked with have addressed this by revising anti-bullying policies at least once a year and ensuring that all members of staff and pupils are kept abreast of any amendments as soon as they are made.

Make children aware: The charity, Family Lives, offers advice to parents who are worried that their child is being bullied, or may be bullying others. It also offers practical advice to teachers on how to spot the signs of bullying in the classroom. It suggests carrying out projects in class to find out whether bullying is a problem in the school, and whether or not the anti-bullying policy is effective. These projects can be used to emphasise the emotional scars bullying leaves behind and increase empathy among students. They can also highlight the seriousness of bullying and the ramifications for those who partake.

Get technical: There are apps in the market that can help schools tackle bullying. Emerge, for example, has behaviour write-back for SIMS and features photographic and video evidence functionality. This means that all incidents are tracked as they happen in real time and are written back to a pupil’s profile in SIMS. Wouldn’t the thought of being caught on video make any bully think twice about their actions? Schools should alert all pupils to any similar technologies they have implemented as a deterrent to any future acts of bullying. In addition, Groupcall has teamed up with renowned anti-bullying campaigner, Actionwork, to launch BATline (Bully Action Team), a service that provides schools with a dedicated incoming text number allowing any learner, parent or stakeholder to report any type of bullying or incident to the relevant person within the school. BATline automatically converts any text received into an email and delivers it to the relevant person or people within the school. When a person reports an incident they can opt to remain anonymous, an important feature for students who fear there may be repercussions for their actions. Schools can, however, elect to receive the mobile phone number that the text was sent from to ensure all reports are legitimate

Include parents: Schools regularly say that, across the board, parental engagement is rapidly improving. Whether schools are reaching parents to inform them about school trips, truancy issues, school dinners or parents’ evenings, modern technology means messages are being received and, consequently, are being acted upon. Updates and information on bullying policies and incidents should be no exception. The more parents are being informed about what goes on after they leave the school gates in the morning, the more they can help schools to tackle the issue of bullying. Bullying.co.uk, offers advice on what parents need to know about bullying at schools and academies. While it points out that the vast majority of pupils are well behaved, it highlights the fact that bad behaviour and disruption in class can stop teachers from teaching and pupils from learning.

The end game

These points are just some examples of how schools can begin to tackle the issue of cyberbullying, but they do offer a good starting point. However, for the foreseeable future, cyberbullying is something that teachers and parents cannot afford to put to the back of their minds. Even with the best anti-bullying initiatives and campaigns in place, they will still need to keep abreast of everything the children in their care are doing while online and make sure they are safe at all times. With this in mind, Kidpower.org has created a checklist for ensuring your children or students stay safe online. It advises:

• ·         Discuss what cyberbullying is and the harm it does with older children and teens
• ·         Be clear about the rules for usingtechnology
• ·         Stay aware of and involved with what your child is doing
• ·         Be careful about the use of personal information
• ·         Enforce consequences if a child cyberbullies
• ·         Provide support if a child is cyberbullied
• ·         Practice how to speak up to stop cyberbullying
• ·         Teach kids to get adult help anytime they see unsafe behaviour on the internet             (http://www.kidpower.org/blog/)

With statistics on school bullying increasing, it comes as no surprise that tackling all types of bullying ranks high on the priority list of many headteachers, senior leadership teams and parents. Fortunately, those in authoritative roles are more aware than ever before of the risks associated with the internet, social media sites and so on, and as such, are placing far more emphasis on ensuring that those in their care don’t fall victim to the cyberbully.

Lawrence Royston, managing director of Groupcall.

  

About the article

Earlier this years, during a debate on childhood and the internet in Westminster, the Minister of Culture, Helen Goodman, said that laws around online abuse were confusing and that better protection for under eighteens was needed. She went on to say that the UK needs a ‘clear legal framework’ to tackle the problem of cyberbullying and the suicides of vulnerable young people and that it is the responsibility of legislators to tackle this issue. Moreover the school bully of the 21st Century looks very different to the bully of 20 years ago. He or she is the faceless, nameless cyberbully. Not interested in making a child the target of his jokes or stealing lunch money, the bully is now focused on stealing something far more precious, a young person’s aspirations and confidence, and blemishing their good name.

Considering warning signs the parents/teachers have a useful reference Guide to help them spot he signs of cyberbullying . On the other hand, Kidscape.org.uk also lists a number of telltale signs that could indicate a child is being bullied. For example:

• ·      The students seem sad, angry, distressed or anxious during or after using the internet or a mobile device.
• ·         Suffer an unexplained drop in exam results.
• ·         Begin truanting.

According to the text, this warning sings demonstrate that our childhood suffers cyberbulling.

Otherwise cyberbullying is increasingly becoming a problem in modern day schools, with 38% of young people having been affected by it according to research by the NSPCC. Against this problem, the schools know the school’s policies, make children aware, get technical and include parents. If we talk about make children aware, the charity offers advice to parents who are worried that their child is being bullied or may be bullying others. Thanks to performances like this they can also highlight the seriousness of bullying and the ramifications for those who partake. On the other hand, include parents it has also seemed interested because the parents each time more have more participation in this actions and links like bullying.co.uk offers advice on what parents need to know about bullying at schools and academies.

Conclusion

Into the bargain we thought that the problems of cyberbullying were less important that we could see in this text. Furthermore ICT has helped that the school bully of the 21st Century looks very different to the bully of 20 years ago because now children have more technology to distract and for this reason promote the apparition of cyberbullying or other problems like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Even though we think that the ICT also helps children because it has tools to work faster and as well search the information that we need to realize each activities of school and interactive activities of internet. Therefore pages like kidscape.org and bullying.co.uk demonstrate that we can help children with ICT.