I came across this article from the NY Times, and it made me wonder if some schools are putting too much pressure on themselves to accurately represent the different cultures represented in their area.
http://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/13/nyregion/private-schools-wrestling-with-diversity-and-identities.html
The motivation behind the Pingry's school's goal to recruit more minority faculty members, administrators and students is the belief that diversity strengthens education. I agree, but I wonder if too much focus is being placed on the external goal of getting people to the school when it should be more internal (i.e. how to accommodate for a wide variety of cultures intermingling in close quarters). The constant restructuring of curriculum in order to meet the needs of Korean, Indians, and Pakastanis seems quite exhausting. Furthermore, who decides what information is most culturally relevant and will best benefit the students?
It seems that students and faculty members at Pingry are desperately striving to create a idealistic community where everyone gets along and respects others for their differences. It just seems as though when there are so many cultures and strong religious backgrounds represented in one place it would be nearly impossible for all to come to terms with each other.
I completely agree with you! It's easy for a school to strive for diversity by increasing the percentage of minority students, but the most important thing a school can do is expand its curriculum to reflect that diversity and the many facets of the diversity of our world.
ReplyDeleteI think that with such a strong focus on testing and acheivement, we are losing the important life lessons and social skills, including respect(I certainly noticed this at our school).
Thanks for this interesting article!