Florida Educational Leadership Standard 6: Diversity
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Florida Educational Leadership Standards
Standard 6: Diversity
Standard 5: Decision Making Strategies – High Performing Leaders understand, respond to,
and influence the personal, political, social, economic, legal, and cultural relationships in the
classroom, the school, and the local community.
Knowledge
I have the knowledge and understanding of:
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Principles of representative governance that undergird the system of American schools
The role of public education in developing and renewing a democratic society and an
economically productive nation
The law as related to education and schooling
The political, social, cultural, and economic systems and processes that impact schools
Models and strategies of change and conflict resolution as applied to the larger political,
social, cultural, and economic contexts of schooling
Global issues and forces affecting teaching and learning
The dynamics of policy development and advocacy under our democratic political
system
The importance of diversity and equity in a democratic society
Dispositions
I believe in, value and am committed to:
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Education as a key to opportunity and social mobility
Recognizing a variety of ideas, values, and cultures
Importance of a continuing dialogue with other decision makers affecting education
Actively participating in the political and policy-making context in the service of
education
Using legal systems to protect student rights and improve student opportunities
Florida Educational Leadership Standard 6: Diversity
Skills
Throughout my internship experience and coursework at FGCU I have learned and evidenced
through integrated essays and artifacts the following list. As an administrator I will facilitate
processes and engage in activities ensuring that:
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The environment in which schools operate is influenced on behalf of students and their
families
Communication occurs among the school community concerning trends, issues, and
potential changes in the environment in which schools operate
The school community works within the framework of policies, laws, and regulations
enacted by local, state, and federal authorities
Public policy is shaped to provide quality education for students
Lines of communication are developed with decision makers outside the school
community
Florida Educational Leadership Standard 6: Diversity
The term diversity has been misinterpreted by many in the general public. A clouded
understanding of diversity stems from the same lack of knowledge and understanding that has
fed the development of stereotypes and prejudice in our country. Diversity refers to the ways
in which humans differ from one another. Some of these differences are clearly visible to the
human eye such as ethnicity, gender, race, and age. Other differences are less visible such as
culture, ancestry, religious beliefs, ability, socioeconomic background, and sexual orientation.
The students of today’s schools share a range of distinct characteristics from a variety of
different backgrounds. It is an expectation of school leaders today to understand diversity and
its impact on schools, students, staff, parents, and community (Florida Department of
Education, 2006).
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In understanding the effects of diversity on schools, administrators must understand the
role in which they must take to account for diversity in producing a positive, safe, and effective
learning environment. School leaders are responsible for protecting the human rights of all
individuals within their organization. Leaders must advocate for the full participation of all
individuals in the education system. School leaders must uphold the value of social
responsibility as schools themselves lay the foundation for the transformation of society
through the elimination of oppression and injustice. Most importantly, school leaders must
make certain that diversity is understood and respected by all members of the school
community (FLDOE, 2006).
To understand diversity and its role in schools today, it is important to look back at the
history of diversity in the United States. In the years surrounding the turn of the 20 th century
nearly 22 million immigrants settled in the United States. The backgrounds of these
immigrants were both ethnically and religiously diverse. The children of these families
streamed into public schools, where they were intermingled with the students who were there
first (McGee Banks, 2005).
Today, diversity continues to increase in our schools. As a result of both immigration and
differential birth rates, the United State population is becoming more diverse ethnically,
linguistically, and religiously. The fastest-growing ethnic groups are Hispanics and
Asians/Pacific Islanders. In the 2000 census, 35.2% of U.S. schoolchildren belonged to a
minority group, and for the first time, Hispanic children outnumbered African American ones.
The number of students who consider themselves bi- or multi-racial is also growing.
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Projections for the future, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, indicate that these
numbers will continue to increase. By 2020, students the number of student belonging to a
minority group will be nearly equal to the number of white students in the United States
(Fowler, 2004).
During my educational leadership practicum I spent time working in the Student Services
department of the Collier County Public Schools administration. Any issue relating to equity or
diversity is run through this office. In the short time that I was there, I encountered several
situations related to diversity. One on-going issue lately in Student Services, has been the reorganization of ethnicity data for student enrollment. Guidelines sent down from the FLDOE
required a new set of ethnicity categories that must be used in determining student race. This
is a product of the change in ethnicity data for the 2010 U.S. Census. Critics of the 2000 census
believed that the category of “some other race”, resulted in a flawed representation of the
diversity of the United States, as “some other race” is not a race at all. There were also issues
with the separate category question of “Hispanic”, which played into a flawed distinction
between race and ethnicity (Lewis, 2006).
The change of category on the school enrollment form resulted in a slew of phone calls
from parent upset over the lack of sufficient categories to fully represent their children’s
background. One parent wrote a lengthy note with a full description of her child’s heritage and
ended with, “She was born in Gainesville, so does that make her a Gator?” This artifact
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Artifact 6-1 TAP
Ethnicity Race 042009.pdf
is a technical assistance paper from the Florida Department of Education on
Collecting and Reporting Race and Ethnicity data.
Another project that I took on for the Student Service department was the compilation of
equity information in regards to race, ethnicity and gender of CCPS students, teachers,
counselors, administrators, and new hires. Documentation of this project is this artifact
Artifact 6-2 Equity
Data Reporting.docx
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Schools are an institutional stronghold of organized societies. As a result, schools hold an
enormous professional responsibility and opportunity through teaching and practice to value
differences so that students and staff feel accepted and secure. To promote student rights in
school six main components must be considered: racism, stereotyping, understanding human
rights, inclusion, social justice, and social responsibility (FLDOE, 2006).
In recent educational history, racism was driving force behind segregation in America’s
schools. In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled to end segregation in schools in the landmark case
Brown vs. Board of Education. In the course School Law, I completed a research paper on the
history of desegregation in America’s schools. This can be viewed as
Artifact 6-3
Desegregation Research Paper.doc
. Today,
racism remains, but the shift has gone from segregation to equity and human rights. Racism
has been behind many programs and practices that have resulted in educational inequity. To
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solve the problem of access to quality programs for all, it is necessary to confront racism.
Educators should appeal to interventions that will lead to the prevention and decline of racism.
Ensuring the use of diversity education in school curriculum, such as James Banks’ approach to
multicultural education is another important step. Later I will discuss diversity practices in
schools and reflect more in depth on multicultural education (FLDOE, 2006).
Stereotyping is a way in which people apply an oversimplified standard image to a person or
group. This usually applies to race, gender, occupation, or other categories that make a person
different. Stereotyping can be problematic as it perpetuates prejudice and inequality through
the transfer of assumptions of a particular person or group into so-called realities for many
people (FLDOE, 2006).
Understanding human rights will enable school leaders and educators to better promote
them in schools. Human rights is defined as the entitlement of all individuals the right to live,
work, and learn in an environment free from fear, discrimination, and harassment. Human
rights violations are not only harmful to the victims, but also to the organization or educational
communities in which they occur. The goals for of human rights aim at prevention, remedial
action, and correction. They are to prevent discrimination, correct persistent patterns of
inequality effecting groups, and provide an effective, efficient, and timely solution to human
right violations through a fair process (FLDOE, 2006).
Inclusion is the guarantee of active participation of all members of a school community
regardless of individual differences. Inclusion has been an increasing general education
initiative as best practices teach us that all students can and do learn. Inclusion has been
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typically coined with special education, but in actuality encompasses all learners. Inclusion
promotes equitable learning for all students. It provides an environment that mirrors society
and the working world, in which individuals seek employment in their own unique areas of
interest and strength. Individual differences are not only acknowledged but esteemed, creating
a model of social justice (FLDOE, 2006). The following artifacts are a description of the history
and current practices of inclusion
Artifact 6-4A
Inclusion History.doc
,
Artifact 6-4B
Inclusion Today.doc
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Social justice extends beyond the protection of basic human rights, to advocate for full
participation of all people in a learning community, as well as their basic legal and civil rights.
The aim of social justice is to achieve a just and equitable society where individuals and groups
who have historically been excluded are full participants and socioeconomic background does
not prevent any individual from obtaining the full benefits of participation in society (FLDOE,
2006).
Finally, educating our students in a manner that will instill a sense of social responsibility is a
role that public schools must take on in order to provide the foundation for societal
transformation. Attitudes regarding social responsibility are underpinning factor in obtaining a
fully functioning democratic society. One’s sense of community and social responsibility will be
the principle’s that guide response to school, local, national, and global events and issues
(FLDOE, 2006).
School culture must account for the diverse populations within the learning community.
Vision, goals, policies, strategies, and initiatives are utilized to provide a positive learning
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environment that effectively promotes student learning. Integrating cultural diversity into the
curriculum of a school is widely considered as the best practice for promoting social justice and
responsibility.
Multicultural education is an educational reform movement designed to restructure schools
and other educational institutions so that students from all social-class, racial, cultural, and
gender groups will have an equal opportunity to learn. Multicultural education is also designed
to aid students in the development of democratic values and beliefs as well as the knowledge,
skills, and attitudes necessary to function cross-culturally (Banks, 1994).
Bases on James Banks’ model, multicultural schools share eight distinct characteristics:
1. The teachers and school administrators have expectations for all students and
positive attitudes towards them.
2. The formalized curriculum reflects the experiences, cultures, and perspectives of a
range of cultural and ethnic group as well as both genders.
3. The teaching styles used by the teacher match the learning, cultural, and
motivational styles of the students.
4. The teachers and administrators show respect for the students’ first language and
dialects.
5. The instructional materials used in the school show events, situations, and concepts
from the perspectives of a range of cultural, ethnic and racial groups.
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6. The assessment and testing procedures used in the school are culturally sensitive
and results in students of color being represented proportionately in classes for the
gifted and talented.
7. The school culture and the hidden curriculum reflect cultural and ethnic diversity.
8. The school counselors have high expectations for students from different racial,
ethnic, and language groups and help these students to set and realize positive
career goals.
(Banks, 1994).
In the educational leadership course Principles of Educational Leadership, I completed a
problem-based project which focused on the need to restructure a school so that it was
meeting the human rights and educational needs of the diverse population of learners. For this
project, I proposed utilizing Banks’ Approaches to Multicultural Curriculum Reform, as a means
for solving the problem. This project can be viewed as
Artifact 6-5
Diversity and Community Relations.docx
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In addition to the ethical and moral responsibilities of school administrators in valuing and
promoting diversity within schools, there is also a significant amount of guiding legislation
regarding diversity which must be adhered to as it is within the confines of the law. There is no
single legislation that refers specifically to diversity, however there are varied ethical and legal
principles relating to diversity embedded within the law. These include the Fourteenth
Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees equal protection under the law. The
Civil Rights Act of 1964, specifically Titles VI and VII prohibit discrimination in federally assisted
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education programs with respect to race, color, religion, gender, or national origin. Title IX of
the Education Amendments of 1972 eliminates gender bias as well prohibits sexual harassment
in schools. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation act of 1973 protects qualified individuals from
discrimination based on their abilities. Finally, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
extends the protection of the Civil Rights Act to include people with disabilities. The No Child
Left Behind Act of 2001 involves federal legislation requiring increased accountability among
districts and schools aimed at closing the achievement gap between minority and non-minority
students (FLDOE, 2006) and (Beckham & Raiford, 2003).
In Florida, the ESOL Consent Decree is found in Florida Statute 1003.56 English Language
Instruction for Limited English Proficient Students. The Consent Decree addresses the civil rights
of limited English proficient students, foremost among which is the right to equal access to all
education programs. The decree addresses identification and assessment, equal access to
appropriate programming, equal access to appropriate categorical and other programs, and
competent personnel (Beckham & Raiford, 2003).
While diversity is by no means a new challenge for schools, the implications for schools are
different today than they ever have been. Linda Darling in her 1997 book The Right to Learn (as
cited in FLDOE, 2006), stated “If the challenge of the twentieth century was creating a system of
schools that could provide minimal education and basic socialization for masses of previously
uneducated citizens, the challenge of the twenty-first century is creating schools that ensure –
for all students in all communities – a genuine right to learn. Meeting this new challenge is not
an incremental undertaking. It requires a fundamentally different enterprise.”
Florida Educational Leadership Standard 6: Diversity
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References
Banks, J.A. (1994). An introduction to multicultural education. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn &
Bacon.
Beckham, J.C. & Raiford, S.A. (2003). The Florida school administrator’s legal guide. Bulverde,
TX: Omni Publishers, Inc.
Florida Department of Education. (2006). Florida school leaders: The William Cecil Golden
school leadership development program. https://www.floridaschoolleaders.org/
Fowler, F.C. (2004). Policy studies for educational leaders: An introduction (2nd Ed.). Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Lewis, T. (2006). Race categories to change on 2010 census form.
http://www.civilrights.org/census/data/race-categories-to-change-on-2010-censusform.html
McGee Banks, C.A. (2005). Improving multicultural education: lessons from the intergroup
education movement. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
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