Why Diversity and Inclusion are Important in Schools

How did we grow into these adults who argue so fiercely, judge and condemn each other so harshly, or just flat out hate each other for no reason other than our own ignorance. This path to pigheaded prejudice begins in preschool. Our school environment impacts far more than our educational outcomes; it affects our entire perception and perspective of the world, others in it, and how we view and interact with one another. 

Some people only think of diversity and inclusion in schools as fun celebrations or week-long lesson plans focusing on certain cultures or identities. This is a part of it and some of the more fun and enjoyable aspects, but the real reason diversity and inclusion are so critical in schools is that we don’t raise close-minded, prejudiced, and hateful adults.

When I say it begins in preschool, that’s not an exercise in hyperbole. A 2005 Yale study showed that pre-K students were suspended at three times the rates of K-12, and of those students, the students who were suspended or expelled were disproportionately Black students. We see similar disparities in special needs students being aggressively restrained and the handling of Black female students (especially darker-skinned students.) The major contributing factor is the teachers’ implicit bias against the student. From here, we see how someone’s bias can have a deleterious impact on someone else's future. 

Over the last several years, we’ve seen countless stories of special needs kids being seriously injured or murdered because of someone’s mishandling, or we’ve seen videos of Black female students thrown around a classroom or pool party and treated with an excessive level of aggression and force, or the millions of virals videos of people having the police called on them or everyday things like bird watching, BBQing, or hanging out on a school campus. The common thread in these is some form of prejudice from a bias from deep-seated ignorance, most likely from a non-diverse background. 

Diversity and inclusion in schools help the students in many ways - ways that could have saved someone’s life in these above scenarios. With diversity and inclusion, students develop more empathy, understanding of different people and perspectives, view other people with an equal humanity, cultivate an open mind, and are better prepared for the ever-growing diverse population that they will have to work in, teach in, raise children in, and live in. 

Frederick Douglas summed up the importance of early childhood development with this quote,

“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”

Investing in diversity and inclusion in schools isn’t just for the child’s experience; it’s to shape their adult experience as well.