Diversity(?)

I listened to a podcast on a private school in Santa Monica that was focused on diversity. What I found most interesting is the idea that a school that charges more than my Notre Dame tuition for Kindergarten and lies in Santa Monica can claim to be diverse. Yes, I'm sure as the administrator on the podcast pointed out, they have lots of rich white kids, rich African-American kids, rich Asian-American kids, rich gay kids, rich transgender kids, rich kids from other countries, rich kids ... and so on.

Is this diversity?

This is - of course - the challenge facing Catholic schools as well. Like public schools, our schools tend to draw from the surrounding neighborhood. Thus, in a racially segregated America, our schools tend to be mono-cultural as well. Our inner-city schools tend to be heavily Latino (or African-American). Our suburban schools tend to be heavily white.

The nice thing is, it is always easy to find my son on the playground. He's the blonde kid.

My own Catholic school growing up was a middle- to upper-class one, with a sizable Latino/Cuban population; but a definitive lack of economic diversity. I don't think the solution lies within our schools, but needs to be addressed on a broader, societal basis. The racial and economic segregation that divides our neighborhoods inculcates a system of neighborhood schools with differing costs, expectations, and resources.

The one key statement in the podcast is that although Brown v Board of Ed was over sixty years ago, we still live in a world where equal opportunity does not exist.

At the local level, what can we do?

If we truly believe that diversity is important, then we need to put our tuition where our mouth is. Be open to a "lower-income" Catholic school. Look for ways to be open to the idea that the neighborhood you drive through could host a good school too. And vouchers - because everyone should have a chance at a good education; not be confined by the limitations of their neighborhood.