Diversity can be defined as the sum of the ways that people are both alike and

different. The dimensions of diversity include race, ethnicity, gender, sexual

orientation, language, culture, religion, mental and physical ability, class, and
immigration status.

FOUNDATION ON SPECIAL AND INCLUSIVE DIVERSITY

Around the world, children are excluded from schools where they belong because of
disability, race, language, religion, gender, and poverty.
But every child has the right to be supported by their parents and community to grow,
learn, and develop in the early years, and, upon reaching school age, to go to school
and be welcomed and included by teachers and peers alike. When all children,
regardless of their differences, are educated together, everyone benefits—this is the
cornerstone of inclusive education.
What is inclusive education?
Inclusive education means different and diverse students learning side by side in the
same classroom. They enjoy field trips and after-school activities together. They
participate in student government together. And they attend the same sports meets
and plays.
Inclusive education values diversity and the unique contributions each student brings to
the classroom. In a truly inclusive setting, every child feels safe and has a sense of
belonging. Students and their parents participate in setting learning goals and take part
in decisions that affect them. And school staff have the training, support, flexibility, and
resources to nurture, encourage, and respond to the needs of all students.
Why is inclusive education important?
Inclusive systems provide a better quality education for all children and are
instrumental in changing discriminatory attitudes. Schools provide the context for a
child’s first relationship with the world outside their families, enabling the development
of social relationships and interactions. Respect and understanding grow when students
of diverse abilities and backgrounds play, socialize, and learn together.
Education that excludes and segregates perpetuates discrimination against traditionally
marginalized groups. When education is more inclusive, so are concepts of civic
participation, employment, and community life.
Isn’t it better to separate children who need specialized attention?
Separate, special education provides no guarantee of success for children who need
special attention; inclusive schools that provide supportive, context-appropriate
conditions for learning demonstrate far better outcomes [PDF]. Extracurricular activities,
peer support, or more specialized interventions involve the entire school community
working as a team.
What are the basic elements of inclusive education?
Use of teaching assistants or specialists: These staff have the potential to be
inclusive or divisive. For instance, a specialist who helps teachers address the needs of
all students is working inclusively. A specialist who pulls students out of class to work
with them individually on a regular basis is not.
Inclusive curriculum: An inclusive curriculum includes locally relevant themes and
contributions by marginalized and minority groups. It avoids binary narratives of good
and bad, and allows adapting the curriculum to the learning styles of children with
special education needs.
Parental involvement: Most schools strive for some level of parental involvement,
but it is often limited to emails home and occasional parent–teacher conferences. In a
diverse school system, inclusion means thinking about multiple ways to reach out to
parents on their own terms.
How can we advance inclusive education?
To make inclusive education a reality we need to do the following:
ensure that educators have the training, flexibility, and resources to teach students with
diverse needs and learning styles
ensure that kindergartens and schools receive adequate and sustainable financial
support so that all activities and services are fully inclusive
empower parents to assert their children’s right to education in inclusive settings
enable the entire community—including mainstream and special educators, social
workers, parents, and students—to work together and participate in the design,
delivery, and monitoring of education, thereby reframing inclusive education as a
shared responsibility
hold governments accountable for implementing antidiscrimination legislation, legal
mandates for inclusion, and policies to remove barriers

The Diversity Wheel is useful starting point to explore equality and diversity issues
and how these factors interrelate to impact on people’s lives.
This slide show helps to examine what is core to someones identity, what aspects
individuals can change only with difficulty and effort and what are more transient/more
easily changed elements of our identity.
Teachers' Rights Basics
Teachers are protected from certain harms under the Equal Protection Clause of the
Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution. Teachers have the right to be free from
discrimination based on race, sex, and national origin -- as well as freedom of
expression, academics, privacy, and religion. The concept of academic freedom can
sometimes be open to interpretation. After all, most teachers value the ability to teach
without undue restrictions on content or subject matter. This section focuses on these
and other freedoms and rights teachers enjoy, as well as state and local laws affecting
teacher's rights.

Freedom from Discrimination

The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution protects
teachers at public schools from discrimination based on race, sex, and national origin.
These forms of discrimination are also barred through the enactment of Title VII of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964, which was amended in 1972 to include educational institutions.
This law provides that it is an unlawful employment practice for any employer to
discriminate against an individual based on the race, color, religion, sex, or national
origin of the individual. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 provides
protection against discrimination based on sex at educational institutions that receive
federal financial assistance. Title VII and IX also prohibit sexual harassment in the
workplace.
A teacher who has been subjected to discrimination has several causes of action,
though proof in some of these cases may be difficult. A teacher may bring a cause of
action under section 1983 of Title 42 of the United States Code for deprivation of rights
under the Equal Protection Clause (or other constitutional provision). However, to
succeed under this cause of action, the teacher would need to prove that the school
had the deliberate intent to discriminate. Similarly, a teacher bringing a claim under
Title VII must demonstrate that the reasons given by a school for an employment
decision were false and that the actual reason for the decision was discrimination.

Academic Freedom
Teachers in public schools have limited freedoms in the classroom to teach without
undue restrictions on the content or subjects for discussion. These freedoms are based
on rights to freedom of expression under the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights.
However, the concept of academic freedom is quite limited. The content taught by a
teacher must be relevant to and consistent with the teacher's responsibilities, and a
teacher cannot promote a personal or political agenda in the classroom. Factors such as
the age, experience, and grade level of students affect the latitude in which a court will
recognize the academic freedom of a teacher.
Freedom of Expression
A leading case in First Amendment jurisprudence regarding protected forms of
expression is Pickering v. Board of Education. This case involved a teacher whose job
was terminated when he wrote to a local newspaper an editorial critical of the teacher's
employer. The Supreme Court held that the school had unconstitutionally restricted the
First Amendment rights of the teacher to speak on issues of public importance. Based
on Pickering and similar cases, teachers generally enjoy rights to freedom of
expression, though there are some restrictions. Teachers may not materially disrupt the
educational interest of the school district, nor may teachers undermine authority or
adversely affect working relationships at the school.

Freedom of Association
Similar to rights to freedom of expression, public school teachers enjoy rights to
freedom of association, based on the First Amendment's provision that grants citizens
the right to peaceful assembly. These rights generally permit public school teachers to
join professional, labor, or similar organizations; run for public office; and similar forms
of association. However, teachers may be required to ensure that participation in these
activities is completely independent from their responsibilities to the school.

Freedom of Religion
The First Amendment and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provide protection
against religious discrimination by school districts against teachers. Teaches may
exercise their religious rights, though there are certain restrictions to such rights. This
existence of restrictions is particularly relevant to the public schools, since public
schools are restricted from teaching religion through the Establishment Clause of the
First Amendment. Thus, for example, a teacher is free to be a practicing Christian, yet
the teacher cannot preach Christianity in the classroom.

Privacy Rights
Teachers enjoy limited rights to personal privacy, though courts will often support
disciplinary action taken by a school district when a teacher's private life affects the
integrity of the school district or the effectiveness by which a teacher can teach. Thus,
for example, a teacher may be terminated from his or her position for such acts as
adultery or other sexual conduct outside marriage, and courts will be hesitant to
overrule the decisions of the school board.

Age
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, with its subsequent amendments,
provides protection for teachers over the age of 40 against age discrimination. Under
this act, age may not be the sole factor when a school district terminates the
employment of a teacher. If a teacher charges a school district with age discrimination,
the school district has the burden to show that some factor other than age influenced
its decision.
Pregnancy
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 provides protection for teachers who are
pregnant. Under this act, a school district cannot dismiss or demote a pregnant teacher
on the basis of her pregnancy, nor may a district deny a job or deny a promotion to a
pregnant teacher on the basis of her pregnancy.
What Makes a Great Teacher

1. Excellent Communication Skills

You'd think that the most important quality for a teacher to possess would be
knowledge, since that's what the job is all about, after all: sharing knowledge. But no
matter how knowledgable a person is, if they can't convey what they know to others in
a way that is not only understandable but engaging, the knowledge itself is useless.
 If a teacher's communication skills (verbal, nonverbal, and visual, which involve
speaking, writing, imagery, body language, and the organization of ideas into
understandable structures) are good, they can convey knowledge with better skill
and results.
 Since a large part of good communication is knowing when the audience has
understood, these teachers notice when they have communicated effectively and
when they have not. They will often paraphrase, illustrate, or take another tact
entirely when it becomes apparent that their communication has fallen flat or has
not reached or connected to the entire class.
 A good teacher notices when even one student among many does not
understand, and makes an effort to communicate individually when necessary.
 Communication also involves explaining exactly what the assignments and
expectations are. When students fully understand what is expected of them, it's
much easier for them to deliver.
 Interestingly, not only are communication skills incredibly important in the
classroom, but they are among the most important skills in any setting. According
to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, most Americans view
communication as the most important skill for long term success “to get ahead in
the world today.” So by being good communicators, teachers are modeling
important lifetime skills by example.

2. Superior Listening Skills
In addition to being good communicators, good teachers also happen to be excellent
listeners. As the Turkish proverb says,"If speaking is silver, then listening is gold." Of
course, effective communication only happens when at least two parties are actively
involved in the process together, and the only way to know if communication is heard is
by asking (and listening to the answer).
So in an ideal learning environment, teachers ask important questions and then
actively, carefully, empathetically listen to what learners have to say. When good
teachers develop this patient quality in themselves, they start to become great. Great
teachers listen hard and then use what they hear to improve the communication.
3. Deep Knowledge of and Passion for the Subject Matter
There is a saying that a teacher is only as good as what they know. If a teacher lacks
knowledge in a subject, that dearth of understanding is passed along to the students.
And keep in mind that although formal education is one way a teacher might gain the
knowledge they need in order to teach well, there are other ways.
Passion is infectious. Love of a subject matter inspires a person to learn more, dig
deeper, and think harder about it, so passion inspires deeper knowledge. The best
teachers are those that clearly love their subjects and pass that passion and desire to
learn more on to their students. When the teacher not only has the right answer to a
student's question but can expand the discussion with vivid examples, amusing
illustrative anecdotes, and relevant facts, and when the teacher has a deep well of
understanding and expertise to draw on, then every lesson is enriched, and every
student might be inspired.

4. The Ability to Develop Strong Relationships With Students

It's not enough just to know what you're talking about, though, and a great teacher
doesn't only teach from the head. In the best classrooms, hearts are involved, as well.
In order to create successful learning environments, great teachers need to be able to
build caring relationships with their students. It is the caring student-teacher
relationship that facilitates the exchange of information.
The best teachers are often the ones that care the most deeply, not only about their
jobs, but about every student they serve. It's not enough just to love the subject
matter: Great teachers also share a love of students. Caring about the students is what
inspires teachers to reach out, do better, communicate more, ask, learn, refine, and
improve. This is something that can't be taught, not even in the best school.

5. Friendliness and Approachability

Because it's the teacher's job to help students learn, they must be easy to approach.
Students will have questions that can't be answered if the teacher isn't friendly and
easy to talk to. The crabby, unapproachable, terse, mean, arrogant, rude, all-business
teacher can't last long. If the students think of their teacher as their enemy, they
certainly won't learn much. The best teachers are the most open, welcoming, and easy
to approach.

6. Preparation and Organization Skills

No matter how charming you are, if you show up for a class without an excellent plan
for how to teach your material, you won't succeed. Great teachers spend endless hours
outside of the classroom preparing, designing lessons, learning more (both about their
subject matter specifically and how to teach, in general), participating in professional
development, and thinking of fresh and interesting ways to reach the students.
The best teachers have excellent lesson plans, lectures, and assignments that they
continually improve. They have studied extensively and read widely about how to teach
and methods to facilitate learning. They structure their days, lessons, and units in a
way that fosters maximal understanding and interest. They collaborate with other
teachers and attend classes to learn more about their subject matter and how to best
convey it. They are available outside of class, and they grade papers quickly, writing
personal notes to help their students understand.

7. A Strong Work Ethic

Anyone who's done it knows that teaching is one of the hardest jobs there is. The
secret that keeps them going is that great teachers really, really want to be great
teachers, and they'll stop at nothing do succeed. A great teacher will do almost
anything to help their students. They always make time and they're always willing to
help. If something doesn't work, they'll work tirelessly until they find a solution. A
teacher's work is never done but the best ones never stop trying, they never quit.

8. The Ability to Build Community

The best teachers understand the importance of building supportive and collaborative
environments. In addition to forming caring relationships with each student, the best
teachers foster healthy and mutually respectful relationships between the students.
They know how to establish guidelines and assign roles to enlist every student's help
and participation. Every student feels like they are not only accepted by the larger
group, but that their presence is a necessary ingredient in the classroom's magic. Their
classrooms are like little communities where each individual plays a part and feels at
home.

9. High Expectations for All

Studies show that a teacher's expectations have a huge impact on student
achievement. The best teachers have high expectations for all of their students. They
expect a lot from each student, but those expectations are both challenging and
realistic. This doesn't mean they hold all students to the same high standard, but
instead that they know what each student is capable of individually and strive to help
each one attain their personal best.