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Diversity Within Public High Schools

Policy Brief

Leticia Lopez

OGL350: Diversity and Organizations

Dr. Kermit Brown

February 6, 2023
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Diversity Within Public High Schools: Policy Brief

Executive Summary/Issue:

We often hear about people of different races, beliefs, and cultures being treated unfairly in all
parts of the country. There have been many stories cast on the news where some of these events
even lead to death. These hate crimes are becoming more and more visible to the country as
social media becomes more popular and videos can be spread amongst the country within
minutes. In high school, we see a lot of bullying amongst the students, both emotional and
physical. A big part of this problem is the lack of education everyone has about different races
and cultures that surround them and the lack of respect everyone has for each other. It is very
important for everyone to understand each other and respect other. When it comes to diversity,
how leaders act and treat others is very important as our leaders are the ones who set the
example. In the high school setting, these leaders are our teachers. High school students are
typically in the age ranch from 14 to 18 years old. These are very important years for teens as
they are starting to discover themselves and becoming young adults. They spend about eight
hours a day at school, and even longer if they involved in extra-curricular activities. With so
much of their day being spent at school, it is imperative that they not only have good teachers to
educate them in the core classes such as reading, math, English, and science, but that those
teachers are also good role models to the students. Being a good role model means treating
people kindly, equally, and with respect. With that being said, I purpose all high school
teachers, counselors, and principals attend a bi-yearly diversity training to help them be
successful in accomplishing this.

The training will focus on educating teachers, counselors, and principals on how to interact
with students and faculty regardless of ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, age, and
culture. This training will not only educate them on different diversity issues that may arise in
the high school setting but will also teach them how to approach the students in these situations.
This training will also allow teachers to discuss previous diversity experiences and allow them to
have open discussions with each other as to what worked for them and what didn’t. The training
will also address any diversity issues seen previously amongst other teachers. I believe that in
most cases, teachers try to avoid these issues as they arise in school but avoiding the issue will
not accomplish anything. This diversity training will give teachers the tools needed to address
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the situations face on. By having these bi-yearly diversity trainings, teachers will have this
information freshly on their mind and will show their students how to treat and respect others.
Attending a school where leaders set the example of the importance of equality amongst the
students and staff will allow the students to have a better high school experience.

Context and Importance:

In November of 2015, University of Missouri college student, Jonathan Butler, went on a hunger
strike stating that his hunger strike would continue until the president of the college resigned.
Butler’s hunger strike was due to issues the campus was experiencing with racism and the lack of
support the students were receiving from school leadership. It was said that the issues were not
only happening amongst the students, but the faculty was also experiencing racial encounters in
which the school was not taking any actions (McLaughlin, 2015). If this kind of behavior is
being seen in our colleges, then we can only assume it is happening in our high schools as well.
Therefore, it is so imperative that we assure the leaders of our high schools are setting the right
example for our future generation. We have seen many circumstances in which high school
students are being bullied for their differences and sometimes this bullying has led to these
students committing suicide. We need our high school leaders to be able to recognize when a
student is being bullied and how to address the situation before it gets worse. We need our high
school leaders to set the example of treating everyone equally and with respect.

Policy Implications/Options:

To earn a teaching degree, required courses include those to focus on understanding the behavior
or characteristics of students who come from different backgrounds. Another focus for a
teaching degree is learning good communication skills. While these are very important things
taught to be a successful teacher, there is so much more to be learned when discussing diversity
in the high school environment and these issues need to be discussed more often. Our world in
constantly changing and teachers need to be up to date on current events and issues that may
arise in class. They need to be fully prepared on how to address these issues. There are some
schools that have diversity training available for their faculty, but it is not mandatory in each
state or across the country, which is the proposal. This is a nation-wide issue that really needs to
be addressed in every state. This is not an issue that is going to resolve itself without the help of
our school leaders.
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Supporting Research:

According to Stopbullying.com, schools that respect diversity can help protect children against
bullying behavior. However, children who are not in a supportive diversity environment may
be at a higher risk for being bullied. Students have been bullied for a number of reasons
including race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, and for being part of the LGBTQI community.
32% of students nationwide who self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer,
intersex, nonbinary, or otherwise gender non-conforming report that they have been bullied on
school property. Bullying can lead to depression and possible suicide. Suicide is the third
leading cause of death among 15 to 24 year-olds. Although a number of researchers note that
there are other risk factors, such as mental health problems, that appear to play a much larger
role than bullying in predicting suicidal thoughts and behavior (stopbullying, 2023).

Policy Recommendations/Conclusion:

The policy recommendation will be for the Department of Education to set in place a four-hour
diversity training that will occur for all teachers, counselors, and principals that work in a public
high school setting. The training will focus on educating teachers, counselors, and principals
on how to interact with students and faculty regardless of ethnicity, race, gender, sexual
orientation, age, and culture. By doing so, this will set a calm environment for the students to
learn and for everyone to get along. This training will be mandatory for all faculty listed above
and there will be no exceptions made. The training will take place twice a year, once before the
start of the school year and once mid-way through the school year. The faculty will have access
to learning materials, literature, and a diversity trainer all year long. All faculty must be present
in person for the training and there will be multiple days and times available so that everyone is
able to attend the training. There will be a test given at the end of each training class and faculty
must pass with a score of 80% or higher. If a member of the faculty does not pass, he/she may
retake the test for a passing score. The training will also allow designated time for faculty to
discuss issues that occurred in the past related to diversity. This will allow open discussion and
help others approach similar situations if needed. There will also be an open forum on the faculty
website that will allow faculty to continue open discussions throughout the year on issues that
have come up.
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In conclusion, diversity is a very important topic that needs to be discussed often amongst our
high school leaders. After seeing the challenges our country has faced recently regarding
diversity, I feel strongly that the above policy proposed can only help our high school leaders be
successful in the classroom, but more importantly, help our students soar. Many students look up
to our faculty as role models and it is important that we stress the importance of diversity
amongst our faculty. This is just the beginning to bringing this diversity dialog into our public
schools. Eventually, we want diversity to be taught to the students as well as part of their core
classes. Little by little, we can do our part in the school setting to teach our kids about equality
and treating everyone with respect. Teaching diversity and inclusion can change the world we
live in today. We are not only teaching our students and faculty respect, but ultimately saving
lives.
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References

McLaughlin, E. (Last updated November 9, 2015). University of Missouri President and

Chancellor Step Down Amid Race Row. CNN.

Stopbullying.gov. (2023). Race, Ethnicity, National Origin, & Religion.

https://www.stopbullying.gov/bullying/groups