Cultural Diversity In Schools Essay

Diversity is one of the most critical elements of today’s public schools and yet it is not always adequately acknowledged within the curriculum. Many schools have diverse student communities, as well as diversity among cultures, religion, socioeconomic background and other demographics. Often such diversities are overlooked when it comes to creation of school curriculum. How a student from one cultural background perceives a lesson may be completely different when compared to a peer from a different culture. It is important that schools and teachers make valid efforts to include cultural diversity in today’s classrooms. Franklin Elementary School has a population of students from a variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Thirty …show more content…
Many of the students who speak languages other than English speak Spanish, and others are familiar with the language. In the United States Spanish is the second most common spoken language behind English and thus it may be helpful for students to develop fluency in this language both for their studies and out of the classroom. After research and discussion among a panel of educators including Franklin’s principal, the ESL teacher, community members and a variety of classroom teachers, funding has been secured for a one year Spanish language pilot program.
Making such an extensive and drastic change to the curriculum will take effective and thought-out implementation. First a panel of teachers, administrators and community members should be formed to discuss the plan and how best to get things started. This panel should meet weekly, as there is imminence to the plan and therefore time restrictions. The members of this panel will serve as “cheerleaders” for this initiative, maintaining positive conversations out in their respective groups (parents, teachers, community leaders