Standard 4: Diversity

Wright State University’s Commitment to Diversity

Wright State University “celebrates diversity” and seeks to maintain an environment of academic excellence in which all members of the University community have an equal opportunity to develop and utilize their full potential (WSU Diversity Statement; WSU Affirmative Action Plan). Over the past decade, the University and the College have engaged in a significant number of initiatives to promote the recruitment and retention of minority students, diversify the teaching force, and enhance awareness and cultural competence within the curriculum (CEHS Affirmative Action Plan). Although a complete summary of these activities has been prepared as an exhibit for the on-site review, the following represent a few examples of these initiatives:

Efforts to recruit and retain a diverse enrollment have produced the following positive trends over the past ten years:

CEHS Student Ethnicity Trends – Beginning of Decade, End of Decade

Enrollment as of 14^th day of each year’s Fall Quarter

 Partnership Schools provide field experiences for the CEHS candidates in culturally
     diversesettings (Partnership Schools Diversity Data).

 The CEHS faculty and staff have been awarded 21 grants, between 1997–2001, for $1.4 million to support a wide variety of diversity initiatives in the College (Diversity-related Grants).

 The CEHS and Dayton Public Schools collaborative Urban Teachers Institute (1999–2000) was designed for educators to engage in dialogue and examine various perspectives about learning experiences that enable teachers to become aware of and responsive to the varied educational needs of a diverse student population.

  The Dayton Holocaust Resource Center is a project initiated by the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton. In February 2001, collection holdings were transferred to the College’s Educational Resource Center (ERC). Teachers and others can borrow these materialsdirectly from the ERC through OhioLINK as interlibrary loan articles.

  In a collaborative initiative with the Office of Disability Services, House Bill funds in excess of  $132,400 were awarded for the acquisition of software, furnishings, and equipment to be  housed in an adapted lab for students and faculty in CEHS special education, workforce education, and rehabilitation programs, as well as for students served by the Office of Disability Services. It is anticipated that the lab will be in place Fall Quarter 2001.

  Six members of the CEHS faculty have collaborated with faculty from the College of Science and Math (COSM) in Creating Lab Access for Students in Science. The C.L.A.S.S. research project is a five-year national model funded by grants totaling $835,000 from the National      Science Foundation. The purpose of the project is to show science educators how to design lab activities to enable students with disabilities to participate in lab classes and pursue science careers.

  Since 1998 the College has participated in the Diversity in Teaching and Teacher Education Initiative, a three-year program coordinated by the Institute for Educational Inquiry and funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. To facilitate an ongoing focus on the objectives of this Initiative and set new goals for the first decade of the millennium, the Dean has established a Committee on Diversity to begin work in the fall of 2001 (CEHS Diversity Plan).

  Based on national availability, the College exceeds the expected number of minority faculty (WSU Affirmative Action Report – CEHS, January 2001).

Processes established for the recruitment of faculty reflect this commitment, and the Office of Affirmative Action provides the organizational structure to support it (WSU Affirmative Action Plan). This office provides demographic data on the diversity dimensions of race and gender to track the diversity of Wright State faculty.

Unit Emphasis on Diversity and Equity in the Teaching and Learning Process

College faculty model knowledge about diversity and sensitivity in classroom instruction to prepare candidates to work with diverse student populations. They also infuse diversity concepts in their syllabi, teaching, scholarship, and service activities (Course Syllabi). Faculty extend their knowledge of diversity concepts, dimensions, and issues through collaboration with clinical faculty in Partnership Schools, in their professional development activities, participation in the National Network for Educational Renewal (NNER) annual meetings and seminars, and the annual College Faculty Retreats (Goodlad Leadership Associates).

The College’s Office of Professional Field Experiences (OPFE) collects data on the racial and gender makeup of the clinical faculty and student populations in our partner schools (Partnership Schools Diversity Data). The OPFE is committed to cultivating diverse clinical faculty who possess the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help all students learn and who desire to mentor new faculty. Partner School relationships are developed and maintained in urban, suburban, and rural settings, and school administrators are asked to nominate clinical faculty using a recommendation form (Clinical Faculty Nomination Form). College and school faculty collaborate on diversity issues at monthly steering committee meetings, building advisory council meetings, and quarterly network meetings.

Diversity is one of the major strands in the CEHS Conceptual Framework, and diversity conversations are infused throughout program curricula. Programs of study, course syllabi, and field experience policies and requirements have been designed, refined, and coordinated to assure that all programs foster in candidates the ability to apply diversity-related knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Each program of study includes coursework that introduces candidates to the social and cultural foundations of education and the complexity of teaching in a pluralistic society. In regular meetings and casual communication, College and school faculty and candidates reflect upon the effectiveness of field experiences in helping candidates develop the necessary competencies related to diversity. Field experience assessments are also aligned with candidate outcomes contained in the Unit’s Conceptual Framework and directly address candidates’ dispositions and their ability to effectively help all students learn (Alignment of Field Experience Assessments with the Conceptual Framework).

Active participation of all candidates is encouraged and valued in classes, field experiences, and clinical practice. Syllabi and samples of student work reflect support for the expression of diverse perspectives. Coursework content is applied in a corresponding sequence of field/practica/ internship experiences in urban and suburban or rural school settings. All program candidates also take at least one course that specifically prepares them to work with special needs students.

Candidate work focuses on understanding and creating effective learning environments for every student. The overarching goal for teaching candidates is developing and presenting meaningful instructional experiences that engage and promote success for all students. For administrative and pupil support candidates, the goal is facilitating programs that provide meaningful learning experiences for all students. Candidates document their growth through journals, the professional portfolio, case study analyses, instructional units and lesson plans, dialogue circles, videotapes of teaching, inquiry projects, and comprehensive exams. These products, as well as various teaching evaluation instruments, provide assessment data that reflect each candidate’s ability to work with diverse populations. University and clinical faculty complete several lesson critiques and performance evaluations and conduct regular formal and informal conferences with each candidate in an ongoing effort to assess and improve practice in this area.

Field experiences are aligned with learned society and professional standards (Praxis/Pathwise for teachers or ALA, ISTE, CACREP, EDLA/ISLLC for other professionals). These standards address diversity issues in the classroom and emphasize the ability to meet the instructional needs The Student Teaching Handbook and minutes from the various partnership advisory council meetings reflect support for the active participation of all candidates in school settings (Partnership Structure). Formal and informal feedback from candidates, clinical faculty, professional development meetings, and parent-teacher conferences reflect support for the active participation of all candidates in Partnership School communities. All candidates have the opportunity to interact and work together in classes. For example, candidates enrolled in many of the College’s programs are admitted as a group and complete their coursework as a cohort, which fosters a supportive professional learning community. Diversity within each cohort is further facilitated by the availability of scholarships for students from underrepresented groups .