Cultural Trends In California

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America is known to be a melting pot that showcases a dream for people they can succeed regardless of where they come from and where they started. However, a study by Hernandez-Chavez and Bills in 1995, found that there was a negative correlation between language maintenance and year of education and per capita income (Jenkins, 2009). How is our country manifesting this “American Dream” of success when students of different backgrounds are being measured using white, middle class standards (Bowman, 1994)? This paper will explore the the impact of shifting cultural and demographic trends on schools in America, especially in California. In 2014, the overall number of Latino, African-American, and Asian students in public K-12 classrooms were …show more content…

If a priority for this country is to compete with other powerful nations around the globe, how can we as a society contest, if students are not valued? In comparison to other states, California is below the national average on per-pupil expenditures, as showcased in Carroll’s 2005 findings. In addition, California has had a substantial portion of teachers that are not qualified and not state certified. Because of the lack of investment, it is hard to foster a cultural competence in our educators to meet the needs and address the inequalities of education to the diverse set of students present in …show more content…

I say this because I have noticed that my curriculum that is advised to be used in my class does not match the culture of my students, yet favors again with the white, middle class. There are some cultural expressions that are used commonly in the white society that I have to explain in class when going through some of the curriculum because I feel that it is valuable for students to be exposed to. However, I do feel that it is a disadvantage that I have to explain and give social context. If I were to teach at a more affluent less diverse school, the example would be understood, focus on the math concept, and not be so distraught of this newfound social context. To make sure content is culturally relevant in my class, I am actively altering my lessons to include meaningful and relatable examples. It is important to use curriculum that activates emotion because the brain needs it to pay attention and can allow students to make personal connections so concepts are retained (Roehl,