Special Resource Material Developed by the Center
Title: Diversity in Schools: Facilitating Positive Interactions (Information Resource)
Description: Diversity in U.S. schools is accelerating. One reason is immigration. Immigration since 1965 has increased the nation’s foreign-born population from 9.6 million to 45 million in 2015. By 2055, no racial or ethnic group will be in the ma
jority (Pew Research Center, 2015). In K-12 education, African-American, Asian, Latino, and Native American students together already
outnumber non-Hispanic white (Education Week Research Center, 2014). Other reasons include the efforts to mainstream students with disabilities and account for a wide range of other group and individual differences. Increased diversity presents schools with opportunities and challenges.
In a society, historical and on-going conditions related to social labeling create conditions where a person’s race, sex/gender, social class, age, disability, etc., profoundly shape how others perceive them and how they perceive themselves and their world. For example, by conservative estimates
many children who are socialized in the U.S. become aware of race as early as 3 years old. Thus, from an early age, explicit and implicit learning and development influences group identity, friendships, and social grouping. Over time, the impact can be beneficial (e.g., providing group
social supports), but also can be harmful (e.g., conflicts arising from group competition for sparse resources). This brief resource highlights (a) th
e positives that can accrue as a student population diversifies, (b) ways to
facilitate positive intergroup interactions, and (c) the necessity of being
prepared to respond when intergroup conflicts arise. Access at: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/diverse.pdf
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