Hello everyone:
It's been a terrific discussion. I'm learning so much from all who have
contributed to the conversation. In reading the panelists' postings, I was
struck by how many of you became interested in studying/working on issues
related to immigrant girls because of your own experiences. I think it is
important to have role models like you as teachers and principals as well
as scholars and activists.
Yet there continues to be a lack of diversity in school personnel. I just
saw a statistic that although 33% of K-12 students in U.S. public schools
are children of color, 90% of teachers are white and 42% of public schools
have no teachers of color at all. (Ms. Magazine, Feb./March 2001).
This does not mean to say that white teachers cannot effectively teach
children of color or learn to navigate cultural differences in their
communities. But I wonder what implications it may have for children of
color--immigrant or otherwise--to look around and never see any one who
looks like them in front of the classroom or in the front office. And what
does it say to white students?
Susan
Susan J. Smith
Director
Gender Healthy Schools Project
ssmith@edc.org
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