Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching - National University

The z-test also showed that the experimental school had a higher graduation rate on the post-test:
z (508) = 4.00, p < .05. Finally, the z-test showed that the experimental school had a higher
extracurricular involvement on the post-test: z (508) = 5.85, p < .05.
There are five innovative strategies verified by the research discussed in the previous
section that helped lead to the success of diverse students at the experimental school. The first
strategy is “Reducing Prejudice and Enhancing Tolerance." Gordon Allport (1954), author of the
seminal study on the concept of prejudice, argued that in order to reduce prejudice one needs to
first understand the concept. This strategy helps educators understand the concept of prejudice so
that they may help their students learn about and admit to their own prejudices. If educators
begin to admit their own prejudices, face their denial, and approach students with the personal
understanding that all people are prejudiced at some degree, they can move with guidance
towardsacceptance and the first step of tolerance. Educators must move past the shame of being
prejudiced by taking action through identification and understanding of the degrees of prejudice
so they can mature into more tolerant and peaceful teachers of diverse children. This change is
often difficult, as it challenges long-held beliefs and questions competence (Ramirez & Gallardo,
2001).
This strategy works well in reeducating both nondiverse and diverse educators. Antiracist
education, which is an alternative means of dealing with improving tolerance, tends to
focus on institutional racism and often leads to the perception that all white people are to blame
for the problems of diverse groups in society (Manfield & Kehoe, 1994). Where anti-racist
training focuses on the racism of whites, the anti-prejudice work embedded in this strategy
assumes that everyone, no matter what their race, is in need of education to reduce prejudice. As
a result, there is less resistance from nondiverse educators who resent being singled out as the
only people in need of remediation. The result of this strategy is that the educators learn to
reduce their cultural biases and prejudices through an open dialogue and honesty between
teachers and students.
The second strategy is the “Identifying White Identity Model." While there are currently
other versions of this model (Warren & Hytten, 2004), Gary Howard and Sonia Nieto (1999)
were the first to conceptualize it. The object of this work is to encourage teachers to open
themselves to both new ideas and perspectives. Doing so leads to teachers appreciating diversity
and accepting pluralism, and being better able to respond to how diverse students learn. The first
step in this strategy is to get teachers to understand that they respond to multicultural or diversity
education by assuming a variety of identities. One identity occurs when someone has such an
insular view of the world that he or she is incapable of being open to new information. A second
identity occurs when someone thinks he or she knows what is best for other people. A third
identity occurs when someone believes that racism is embedded in our society that nothing can
be done to change society. A fourth identity occurs when someone exhibits a fascination with
multicultural or diversity work but does not connect problems to his or her own privilege. The
object of this strategy is to call for teachers to become transformative educators, which involves
seeking to understand one’s own privileges while continuing to acquire new information and
participate in open dialogue with others. Through this strategy, the teachers learn to understand
and acknowledge their own identity. This provides for open discussion on the way different
people see issues of diversity. The object of this work is to encourage teachers to open
themselves to both new ideas and perspectives. Doing so leads to teachers appreciating diversity,
accepting pluralism, and being more able to respond to how diverse students learn.
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