Essential Question and Answer

How can having an understanding and appreciation of the cultures, backgrounds and values of our students help us as teachers to teach them more effectively?



An unfortunate reality in education today is the presence of an "Achievement Gap" between students of different races, gender and socio-economic standing in our culture. As America becomes increasingly diverse the need to close this gap is not only of importance to those groups which have been afflicted but also to our nation as a whole.   In the article Embracing Urban Youth Culture in the Context of Education by Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz and Perry Greene it is argued that by celebrating the positive aspects of Urban Youth Culture rathering by demonizing it we can help these students succeed and excel academically by creating a stronger self image and not marginalizing them as underachievers. In the article, Sealy-Ruiz and Greene state that Instead of ignoring Black urban youth or continuing to pretend as if who they are
and what they value is unimportant, schools and the larger community should make
every effort to celebrate their cultural lives and personal identities. While this article refers only to the experience of those in Urban Youth Culture the lessons learned can be applicable across the sprectrum of groups in a similar circumstance.

Members of Urban Youth Culture are often confronted with stereotypes based on the music they listen to and the clothes they wear. This coupled with popular culture depictions of the members of this community often leads to lower expectations for these students and subsequently lower achievement.  Better understanding the cultures and motivations as well as embracing the cultures and motivations of our students of color will aid in closing the "Achievement Gap". Sealey-Ruiz and Greene list Habits of Mind that educators of members of Urban Youth Culture should implement if they are to succeed in successfully connecting with their students. These Habits of Mind are listed here;
• Appreciate (if not enjoy) students’ cultures and the diversity they bring to the
classroom.
• Encourage African American and Latino/a youth to connect to their cultures.
• Understand that educator’s dispositions around Black and Latino/a children, as
well as Urban Youth Culture, can negatively affect their relationships with these
students. Allow all students to explore their interests in the context of a
classroom setting.
• Help and encourage students to feel good about themselves, including
facilitating the creation of youth-oriented, student-centered clubs and organizations
that address the interests of students.
• Value the communities, cultures, and families of students in meaningful ways.
• Listen to students and become conversant in what interests them.
• Get involved in establishing or expanding mentoring programs for Black (and
Latino/a) youth, and other groups in the school or community who are at risk of
dropping out (i.e. over aged students, students experiencing legal trouble, or
students with difficult personal circumstances: i.e. foster care, homelessness,
etc).
Ultimately, if we are to be successful in educating our students in an increasingly diverse nation, we must celebrate that which makes us diverse and leverage those differences in achieving successful outcomes in education.

Sealey-Ruiz, Y & Greene, P. (2010) Embracing Urban Youth Culture in the Context
of Education. Urban Review. http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/B7C6DFDD-ECD4-40EF-B0A2-FD6C7D08C374/0/EmbracingUrbanYouthCultureintheContextofEducation.pdf