The Value of Diverse Schools

Diverse classrooms result in students who engage more deeply in their coursework. A 2002 University of Michigan national study found that college students who interacted with a diverse group of peers demonstrated higher levels of intellectual engagement and self-assessed academic skills. A 2010 study from the Centre for Educational Research at University of Western Sydney similarly found that student experiences with diversity positively impact students’ problem-solving skills and their ability to work with others.

When students attend classes with peers who come from different experiences, they challenge each other to think about the course content in new ways. Diverse student experiences enhance group discussions by connecting abstract concepts to concrete examples drawn from a range of experiences. For example, students from different cultures can share how they celebrate different holidays, rather than a teacher leading a theoretical discussion about it. Students learn from one another and improve their critical thinking and problem-solving skills when in diverse classrooms.

Daily interaction with a diverse peer group yields personal benefits for students. Racially and socioeconomically mixed schools allow students to develop intergroup friendships. In homogenous schools, students lack the opportunity to interact with diverse peers. Diverse schools make it possible for children to build relationships with peers of different backgrounds. Studies also find that diverse friendships correlate with higher social competence and lead to increased self-esteem, well-being, and resilience.

Exposure to diversity can reduce implicit bias and its detrimental effects. The Ohio State University’s Kirwin Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity explains that implicit bias, or the attitudes and stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner, are pervasive. People tend to favor their in-group unconsciously. However, these biases are malleable and subject to change after exposure to new experiences.

A 2003 meta-analysis of 515 social science studies found overwhelming evidence that “contact between different groups… lowers intergroup prejudice.” Children demonstrate in-group bias through all stages of development, but also are willing to cooperate in all social groups and orientate towards fair and just treatment of others. When students feel comfortable with other races and people of different backgrounds, they demonstrate a decrease in discriminatory attitudes and prejudices.

Students in diverse educational settings demonstrate increased leadership skills. A 2013 longitudinal study of first-year college students used the Social Responsibility Leadership Scale (SRLS), a standardized scale used by education researchers to measure engagement and leadership. The research found that frequent diverse interactions led to considerable growth in leadership skills, psychological well-being, and intellectual engagement. In comparison, students who have rare or moderate diverse interactions exhibit no growth (and sometimes even slight declines) in all these areas. For example, students who took multiple courses related to diverse topics and/or maintained relationships with a diverse group of peers demonstrated greater gains on the SRLS. To build connections and effectively lead in an increasingly diverse society, students need to interact with people who are different from them.

Furthermore, children demonstrate increased civic engagement when they attend diverse schools. A 2011 University of Notre Dame meta-analysis of college diversity experiences reviewed 27 studies with a combined sample size of 175,950 students. The analysis found that diversity experiences are associated with increases in civic attitudes, behavioral intentions, and behaviors. To truly understand social issues, students need to be exposed to alternative worldviews. When children with diverse perspectives learn together, students are more likely to engage with and understand broader social issues and civic values. A 2005 study of public schools in Florida’s Miami-Dade County found that students who attended more diverse schools were more likely to report an increased sense of civic engagement as compared to peers in more segregated schools.

Diverse school experiences cultivate individuals with deep understandings of other groups and greater comfort in diverse settings. The feeling and comfort a child achieves in school extends into adulthood. Comfort with diversity is imperative as the United States grows increasingly diverse. As reported by the Brookings Institution, U.S. census data projects minorities will outnumber whites in 2045. For those under the age of 18, 50.6% of the population is already minority. Children will interact with people from diverse backgrounds in college and in their future workplaces. Therefore, it is imperative to prepare students to succeed in an increasingly multicultural society.

In addition, employers value diverse experiences. Because their workforce will be diverse, employers expect future employees and leaders will be prepared to interact with their diverse colleagues. A group of Fortune-100 companies filed an amicus brief in response to the 2016 Fisher v. University of Texas Supreme Court case in support of affirmative action policies. The companies argue that comfort with diversity and cross-cultural skills are “business and economic imperatives.” Leaders at top companies expect their employees to enter the workforce prepared to share “ideas, experiences, viewpoints, and approaches” with diverse groups of people. The earlier students engage with multicultural peers, the more prepared they will be for future career success.

In 2010, administrators at Eden Prairie Public School District (EPPSD) created school attendance zones to reduce concentrated poverty and increase student achievement and operational efficiency. Over one thousand students moved schools during the initial transition. However, because the school district changed from a K-4 to a K-6 model, the zone changes resulted in fewer academic transitions overall in a child’s tenure in the school system. Students in district schools demonstrated significant gains in academic performance across demographics. After redistricting, proficiency rates in all grades in math, reading, and science on the Minnesota Report Card have outperformed state averages.

State reports also designated EPPSD as a top-performing district for Latino and Asian students. While school assessments continue to demonstrate an achievement gap between black and white students, the overall test score improvements demonstrate progress towards equity and the benefits of a diverse, integrated public education.

Administrators at Stamford Public Schools first moved toward school integration after the state passed the 1969 Racial Imbalance Law which required all public schools in the state to racially integrate. Under the law, the Connecticut State Board of Education considered a school imbalanced if its minority enrollment is more than 25 percentage points above or below that of the district as a whole. During the 1970s, Stamford school board officials and administrators set a goal for every school within their district to fall between ten percentage points of the district’s overall enrollment of disadvantaged students. After diversifying the racial demographics across district schools, administrators pushed to “de-track” the academic courses in the late 2000s due to a lack of diversity in upper-level middle and high school courses. By reducing the number of grade “tracks,” administrators diversified individual classrooms in their schools. After the change, student performance increased across the district.

As of 2015, Stamford Public Schools had the highest overall academic performance out of the five largest school districts in Connecticut. In 2016, administrators documented significant increases in the number of students enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) courses and graduation rates for all student demographics. From 2010 to 2016, the percentage of students taking AP courses increased from 41 percent to 50 percent. The number of students named “AP Scholars” by the College Board for exceptionally high achievement increased from 192 in 2010 to 243 in 2016.

Percentage of Stamford Public Schools students enrolled in AP courses

Graduation rates of Stamford Public Schools students by race/ethnicity

• Integrate individual classrooms along with schools: Students must interact with their diverse peers during class. Administrators should analyze the demographics of the “tracks” in their middle and high schools that place students into higher- or lower-level coursework.
• Provide support to address teacher biases: Teachers must acknowledge and work to overcome their implicit biases. Administrators should provide trainings and individualized supports to ensure teachers mediate the effects of their biases.

• Create collaborative learning opportunities: Teachers should encourage students to share their varying experiences with one another. Lessons should include opportunities for group work and discussion to ensure students learn from their peers.
• Encourage interpersonal relationships: Teachers must encourage community in their classes. The benefits of diversity are greater when students engage in interpersonal relationships, rather than just curricular or co-curricular experiences.