City High takes pride in being a diverse school. True diversity, however, must extend beyond our hallways and into our classrooms. If individual classes do not represent the diversity of the school, diversity of perspective and culture are not being shared in an educational environment.

For example, if this year’s AP Literature and Composition class was to act out Shakespeare’s Othello it would not be very believable. There are no African-American students in the class. Of the eighteen percent of our student body that is African-American, not a single student decided to take this class, AP German, AP Economics, AP Calculus AB, or AP Statistics.
Minorities are severely underrepresented in most AP classes. Of the twenty AP classes offered at City this year only one class, AP Lang. and Comp has a minority population comparable to that of our school. In addition, the district has seen overrepresentation of minority students in special education classes.

City High also takes pride in being “The school that leads.” The achievement gap is, of course, not a problem unique to our school. No matter if it is discussed in terms of socio-economic status or race it is a nationwide issue. City High has taken on a certain responsibility with its motto. To lead is to innovate and experiment. No one can say that they know the secret formula that will create diversity in all classes, but it comes down to having people who are willing to try to make it happen.
If any school is going to take on this challenge, it should be City High. The school is already equipped with the most essential tool to a good education and successful future… Amazing teachers. Now it’s just a matter of starting a discussion, setting goals, and finding realistic and productive solutions.

Changing a student’s mindset is key. Minority students have expressed that sometimes they will choose not to take an AP class because it is not considered acceptable in their peer group. Some students believe that their friends choose not to because they do not want to act “too smart.” This is perhaps one of the most challenging barriers the school will face when confronting this problem. It’s essential to make students see that taking an AP class is not about looking smart. The decision to take an AP class should be rooted in a student’s desire to be successful in the future. It is just a matter of finding a way to motivate students to take on the challenge and give them the tools, including confidence, that they need to succeed.

This process must start much earlier than high school. The new (February 2013) ICCSD Diversity Policy is a good first step. In theory, if classrooms become more equal in terms of the levels of free and reduced lunch eligible students in each class, all students will have a similar learning environment. This will eliminate groups of students who enter junior high and high school having been in very inferior learning environments for up to seven years. However, the Diversity Policy alone is not enough.
A strong emphasis should be placed on reaching out to parents throughout a student’s PreK-12 years. Some parents don’t know how to access the information they need to help their kids succeed. The school should take a more active role in educating parents. At City this may be offering more meetings for parents explaining curriculum, like AP classes.

While parents and teachers can help encourage and educate, when students graduate they will have to rely on their own desire to learn for future success. City’s main focus should be to instill a passion for education in all students. Too often, students simply aren’t motivated or lack the confidence to be successful in challenging AP courses.

The underrepresentation of minority students in AP classes signifies a problem in the culture of our school. No student should feel isolated in any class. No student should feel that they are too far behind in their education to be successful in an AP class. Perfection isn’t a realistic goal, but having no goal at all is unacceptable. If we want to be able to honestly say “we are the school that leads” we need to set an example. An example that shows the community and the nation that it is possible for all students, regardless of race or class, to be as prepared as possible for future success.