Dustin Ryan

Culture and Inclusion

11/6/15
Professor Pluciennik
Reflective Essay #1
The future of our global society depends on the education of all students. What is at
risk is not just widening achievement gaps and increasing dropout rates. The real risk is the
disconnection of our future global society. We have discussed ethnocentrism, and its
effects in the United States. As a nation, schools tend to view students through an
ethnocentric filter. We can see this through standardized testing, as well as other rigorous
summative assessments. Our standardized tests do not reflect the ever growing cultural
diversity of our nation. On the contrary, some would argue that they reflect one type of
culture in this nation. However, assessment is crucial to gauging student understanding
and mastery. Barbara Bowman posits that teachers should use more authentic assessment
that focuses on an individual childs unique response.
Since the Civil Rights movement, and the following Civil Rights Act, there have been
important cases, education bills, reforms and propositions that have moved us in a direction
preparing for increasing numbers of non-English speaking populations. Schools have had
to change instruction, add resources, funding; teachers have had to receive new
certifications to hold a credential deemed highly qualified to teach all students, and all of
this in the name of Equal Education. Though we are moving in this direction, there have
been setbacks and errors. In the Lau V Nichols case in the mid-1970s, the courts
determined that it is not enough for a school to just provide the same, or equal, resources,
instruction, and facilities. This does not make education equal. If the student cannot
understand the language in which instruction takes place, then the content cannot be
accessed by said student, and the education is therefore not equal. Though the Supreme
Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff, calling for massive financial reforms, there was still much
left to interpretation. The Lau case, however, did not establish a specific bilingual policy
(education.uslegal.com).
Over forty years after the Lau V. Nichols case, do we still have specific bilingual
policies in place? As a nation, it seems to be that much is still left to interpretation. There
are schools, such as the one I have the privilege to teach in, in which there are bilingual
policies and programs in place. We have a dual immersion program for Spanish speakers.
We have Native American liaisons and aides, as well as Spanish speaking aides. There are
clear requirements for students coming from non-English speaking backgrounds, being
classified as an ELL, and there are clear requirements for being reclassified as English
proficient. In California teachers are also required to hold a CLAD credential, my reason for
taking this course. This is one more piece of policy in place, working toward impacting ALL
students. Though I come from a very diverse state, Alaska, in which there are over 90
languages spoken in one district, there is no such requirement for a teaching credential.

Through my course work prior to receiving an Alaskan credential, we discussed the

instruction of ELLs, as well as focused on culture and inclusion, but there was no CLAD
equivalent.
With all of these policies and requirements in place, are we really impacting ALL
students? Are we meeting their specific and individual needs? Are we preparing them to be
proactive and competitive members of our future global society, in which English will most
likely remain a dominant and powerful language in the worlds economy? I dont believe we
are, but I believe we can. Beginning with cultural responsiveness, attending to the needs
of students not just by knowing your students, but really trying to understand where they
come from. I dont just mean their ethnic cultural background, but the home life, the way in
which the family communicates the expectations and standards of the household, as well as
the community they come from.
One example that really stuck out with me was when a teacher from Mississippi
shared her experience with a four year old black student (Delpit, 2006, p. 51). The teacher
was working on greetings and responses with the students. This particular incident the
teacher said Good morning Tony, how are you? Looking for an answer such as I am fine,
thank you the teacher received a response of I bes fine. The teacher continued to search
for the correct response by repeating the question again and again. The boy became
increasingly frustrated, because from his point of view, he already answered the question.
Merely correcting a student like this, over and over, can lead to frustration, isolation, and
even dropping out of school altogether, in a more extreme but still plausible scenario.
Another example that Delpit describes is a group of Arapaho natives and their style
of writing. The students were turning in writing that seemed to go nowhere, and had no
clear meaning. The teacher was becoming frustrated, as we all do when we put effort after
effort in, and do not see the results we are looking for. The teacher spoke with an elder
tribesman and came to understand that their way of storytelling is that of an oral tradition.
There typically is no written story. Furthermore, stories can last many days, and are often
left without an end because life has no end (Delpit, 2006, p. 61).
These examples both illustrate the need to know our students, as well as their
background, their community, and the accepted language where they come from. They both
provide something in which to be assessed. Was an answer provided when asked a
question? The student clearly understood what the teacher asked, and answered
appropriately. The teacher could then move on to correct English grammar through mini
lessons, rather than correct the student right then and there. Knowing such cultural
information about your students and using it to captivate and engage students can lead to
the further achievement, and can help to produce competitive members of a global
community.