AN IN DEPTH LOOK
The Details.
OUR PURPOSE
The goal of the Educational Diversity Project is to answer these two main questions:
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Does race contribute to “educational diversity”?
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When we strive to create a diverse learning environment for students, is race a material factor?
WHAT IS EDUCATIONAL DIVERSITY?
The benefits of diversity in education can be reaped from these six domains:
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Student Background- Gender, Age, Debt, Religion, Etc.
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Family Background- Parents/Guardians, Racial Identity, Household Language, Etc.
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Experience- Being Discriminated Against, Presence of a Mentor, Etc.
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Perspective- Varying Social and Political Views
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Educational Expectations- Admissions Policies, Optimal Learning Environment, Perceived Benefits of Diversity, Etc.
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Career Goals and Aspirations- Reasoning for Attending Law School, Desired Type of Law, Race/Gender Career Options, Etc.
THE PROCESS
Students at sixty-nine law schools, from across the United States, were surveyed with questions that fell under the umbrella of "educational diversity". Their answers were then categorized by the students' racial identity, revealing trends in perspective amongst the students' racial groups.
ADDITONAL RESEARCH
222 students, who hailed from 11 law schools, were given an additional demographic survey and an opportunity to discuss their college experiences, discriminatory or otherwise. Students were grouped by racial/ethnic identity and were matched with discussion facilitators who identified similarly. The focus groups conversed for ninety-minute, annual sessions. Tape recordings of these conversations will be made available shortly.
CONCLUSION
While the EDP study breaks down students' opinions on many aspects of educational diversity the authors of "Does Race Matter in Educational Diversity? A legal and Imperial Analysis", heavily implied that race is a factor in education. The study suggested a diverse learning environment was beneficial to a student's overall education, from an individual, institutional, and societal standpoint. It is through these findings that we encourage the consideration of race in producing a conducive setting for learning.
