diversity and schools

I too want to respond to Senator Vasconcellos' question as to whether the Master Plan for Education goes far enough. The cultural value systems of California's families should be directly addressed in the Master Plan.  For example, Recommendation 17 (Schools should maintain active communication with parent groups) suggests that while "schools must be diligent to nurture a culture that welcomes parents" it also admonishes parents "who communicate to their children the value that sports, work, and sibling care are more important than academic achievement."  These two ideas - creating a school culture that welcomes families and yet criticizes their values - should be reconsidered - particularly in light of the rich cultural diversity in California.  While early care and education settings make their support of families explicit, there is often a disconnect when children enter elementary school.  School readiness should incorporate family readiness.

This may be especially true among Latino populations.  "The state's Hispanic student population has surpassed the number of whites as the largest group and accounts for a significant portion of the growth in its enrollment" (EdSource, June 2002).  These families often come to school with a cultural value system that emphasizes family needs over individual needs and helpfulness to others rather than independent achievement (Greenfield, Quiroz, & Raeff, 2000; Trumbull, Rothstein-Fisch, Greenfield, & Quiroz, 2001; Valdez, 1996).  

The Master Plan should not castigate students who need to work or care for relatives.  Rather, schools should seek to engage parents and families from collectivistic cultural value systems in ways that promote both academic success and family strengthening.  Too often students are asked to accept the culture of the school and forsake their home culture.  Parents, often nurtured and supported in early care settings, may be devalued once children transition to elementary school.