The Atlantic just published an interesting article on the challenges faced by minority families when they enroll in prestigious, private schools (independent schools). The article highlights the large cultural divide between minority families and the school administration and teachers as they all work together to try to create positive educational experiences for their children. The article builds on a documentary created by the parents of an African American boy, who with a friend, attempt to navigate the challenging academic environment of Dalton School. What is made most salient from the article is how education is so much more than simple academic learning. Or, to put it another way, how intricately interconnected academic learning is with the social, emotional, and identity development of youth. For majority youth and their families, the social, emotional, and identity development is already in-synch with the cultural framework of the school and so it generally goes unnoticed. Sure, the best schools are attuned to the particular needs of individual students, and so when individual students struggle in any of these areas, the schools can provide the support services necessary. However, what seems evident from the article is that the schools are unfamiliar with the unique challenges of the minority youth and families who attend their schools, and so often miss or misdiagnose the signs and symptoms of youth who are struggling.

However, it is too simple to blame this particular school for being unable to handle all of these problems. Indeed, it would be a rare school that would be able to understand and even attend to these issues, especially when some of the developmental struggles take place outside of the school. For example, one of the stories described in the article is about one of the youth being teased for speaking like a white person by other African American youth in his basketball league. This story highlights the experience of being caught between two worlds, learning to cope with this reality, and having to figure out one’s identity in a radicalized world.

Should we expect schools to understand the nuances of these experiences and be equipped to handle them? Perhaps, but only if the educational model is  critical and self-reflective, if it is not rooted in an assumption that its model is best and that students need to learn this model, and if it truly valorizes the lived experiences of every student and family who attends the school. These values can really only be achieved through hard work, both through a commitment to enhancing diversity among the students, faculty, and administration, but in also taking the time to follow through on the implications of diversity enhancement. That is, diversity in and of itself should not be a goal — rather, it should be a means to an end. The end is a better, more supportive academic environment for all students, and diverse perspectives, attitudes, and values can help shape the environment to reach that end.