Diverse Schools Affect Students Racial Identity

Our identity is based on self-image, on our personality and the things we like. But our racial identity is based on the interactions we have with others. We develop our identity throughout our lifetime, but the most crucial period is adolescence. As an adolescents there is so many things that can affect our identity. Adolescents identify is based on their childhood, their friends, and their personal style. School is usually the biggest part when it comes to adolescents. They identify themselves based on the friendship they make, and how their classmates see them. So how would attending a diverse schools affect our racial identity? 

In the book "Recognizing Race and Ethnicity: Power, Privilege, and Inequality",  Fitzgerald defines racial identity as "our sense of who we are and how we view ourselves, through interaction with other"(Fitzgerald,14).  When attending school, everyone has their own little group, and every group is categorized as something; jocks, nerds, skaters, hippies, goths, and etc. As adolescents, we identify ourselves based on the people we surround ourselves with and the opinions they have about you. So how does race affect these groups?



When attending a diverse school, you would think that students have the opportunity to socialize with different racial groups. Well let take a look at this according the the article, Interracial and Interracial Contact, School-Level Diversity, and Change in Racial Identity  Status Among African Americans Adolescents, "school-level racial diversity on friendships choices among high students find that higher the proportion of same-race peer in student's schools, the more likely he or she will have the same-race friends"(Yip, Seaton, and Sellers, pg 1143). This article, demonstrates that even when student have the opportunity to interact with different racial groups, adolescents may not actually take that opportunity. There can be many reason why that happens. The students might be afraid to socialize outside their circle, they might even be prohibited by their parents. But the majority of times, in diverse school students are separated by race within the classrooms.

Schools themselves sometimes limits students interaction with other racial groups. Although segregation in school sounds ridicules, it still occurs in several diverse schools. In the article, School Tracking and Youth self-Perceptions: Implications for Academic and Racial Identity, Kamilah states,  “Black adolescents are disproportionately placed in non honors tracks possibly compromising their racial identity and academic”(Kamilah, pg 3). Students segregation still occurs in schools, separating students by race can affect the students racial identity because they don't have the opportunity to interact with other racial groups. Placing students in different academic classes can truly affect the student identity.This article also explains, “that students in non-honors classes view the negative perception of their classmates as reflection of themselves”(Kamilah, pg2). Separating students race not only affects their racial identity but it can also affect their identity. Students who are placed in lower academic level might view themselves as a less and it can also affect their self-esteem. Students who are placed in higher acemdic levels, well start to view themselves as superior than everyone else.

Students racial identity can be affected for several different reasons, attending a diverse school should allow students to interact with other racial groups. In the article, A Review of the Racial Identity Development of African American Adolescents: The Role of Education,DeCuir -Gunby explains that teachers should learn how to understand her student and treat them all fairly. In Gunby's research she explain that when students are treated differently because of their race or gender that is cause conflict with their identity. She states, “we must learn who the children are, and not focus on what we assume them to be”, this includes developing relationships with our students, and understand their political, cultural, and intellectual legacy” (DeCuir-Gunby, pg103). As adolescent we define ourselves based on how we are treat by others.

Attending diverse school affects students racial identity in many different ways. Separation in the classroom can intimidate students to not socialize with other racial groups because they feel less or superior. As an adolescents, they way we are treated and seen by others cause a huge impact in our identity. Diverse school should treat student equally to allow them to interact with other and discover who they truly are.