Diversity at IMSA: Opportunities and Challenges around Race

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Diversity at IMSA Opportunities and Challenges
around Race

• Andrew Grant-Thomas, Deputy Director
• Kirwan Institute for the
• Study of Race and Ethnicity
• Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
• February 13, 2009

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Diversity at IMSA Five Challenges and
Opportunities

• Assembling a multicultural community
• Educating members about the value of
  multicultural education
• Realizing the benefits of cultural diversity
• Integrating lessons and insights across diverse
  disciplines
• Developing and invoking the best of our (diverse)
  possible selves

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Diversity at IMSA Five Challenges and
Opportunities

• Assembling a multicultural community
• Educating members about the value of
  multicultural education
• Realizing the benefits of cultural diversity
• Integrating lessons and insights across diverse
  disciplines
• Developing and invoking the best of our (diverse)
  possible selves

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I. Realizing the Benefits of Cultural Diversity
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In Your Words

• Appreciation, affirmation, inclusion so all
  can contribute
• Appreciation, affirmation, inclusion so all
  can enjoy
• Diversity in community inspires discovery and
  creativity
• Diverse perspectives enrich understanding
• Build the capacity of IMSA faculty and staff to
  meet the needs

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Benefits of Racial Diversity in Education All
Students

• More tolerant and inclusive viewpoints
• Reduced intergroup prejudice
• Improved intercultural competence
• Enhanced critical thinking and integrative
  complexity
• More creativity and intellectual confidence
• Higher levels of parental involvement
• More productive workplace relationships with
  other-race people
• Less residential segregation
• Source Brief of 553 Social Scientists, Parents
  Involved

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Benefits of Racial Diversity in Education
Nonwhite Students

• Modest positive achievement gains for black and
  Latino students (no negative impact on test
  scores of white students)
• Higher-quality resources (funding, class size,
  rigorous coursework, teachers)
• More qualified teachers and less teacher turnover
• Higher HS graduation rates
• Richer social and professional networks
• Higher income for African Americans
• Source Brief of 553 Social Scientists, Parents
  Involved

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The Logic of Diversity

Diversity of Identity, Beliefs, Experiences
Diverse Perspectives
Better Outcomes
Source Scott Page, A Logic of Diversity II
(available online)
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Diversity or Ability A Test

• Group 1 Best 20 individual problem-solvers
• Group 2 Random 20 problem-solvers
• Have each group work collectively - when one
  person gets stuck, another group member tries to
  find a further improvement. Group stops when no
  one can find a better solution.

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Toolbox View
ABD
ABC
ACD
AEG
AHK
FD
BCD
ADE
BCD
BCD
EZ
IL
Alpha Group Diverse Group
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Multidisciplinary View
Econ
Econ
Econ
Polisci
Math
Hist
Econ
Econ
Econ
Econ
Soc
Bio
Alpha Group Diverse Group
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View
Five Jim Phelps vs. MI
Task Force
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DIVERSITY TRUMPS ABILITY

• Most of the time the diverse group outperforms
  the group of the most talented individuals by a
  substantial margin.
• See Lu Hong and Scott Page, Proceedings of the
  National Academy of Sciences (2002)

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Our World Grows Increasingly Complex
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Subprime Mortgage Securitization
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II. Our Best Selves Insights from Cognitive
Science

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In Your Words

• No ones path in life is predetermined
• Each person has the potential to change and to
  bring about change
• Liberate the genius and goodness of all
  children
• Ability to assume, and examine world from,
  multiple perspectives
• Dimensions of being individuals, learners,
  community members, citizens, leaders

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Our Minds Work in Curious Ways
The Kanizsa Triangle
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SPINNING GIRL
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• What colors are the following lines of text?
• Vqeb peow ytro
• Cvur zxyq brrm
• Vhrn wwte zytn
• Xoc jbni oew mne
• Zre ytu vee mkp

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• What colors are the following lines of text?
• Red
• Blue
• Black
• Green
• Brown

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• What colors are the following lines of text?
• Sky
• Grass
• Dirt
• Coal
• Stop sign

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• What colors are the following lines of text?
• Dirt
• Sunshine
• Sky
• Grass
• Stop sign

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• What colors are the following lines of text?
• Green
• Blue
• Brown
• Red
• Black

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(No Transcript)
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Implicit Association Test
http//thesituationist.wordpress.com/2007/08/19/
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What Would You Do?
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Implicit Racial Bias Behaviors

• Split-second police decisions about when and what
  to shoot
• Sentencing decisions for defendants convicted of
  felonies
• Comfort level and body language in interracial
  interactions
• Use of stereotypes to interpret ambiguous
  behavior
• Source Dasgupta 2008

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Racial Identity ? Social Status
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Racial Identity ? Social Status
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Reducing Implicit Bias

• Increasing exposure to positive models
• Working together in a structured environment to
  solve shared problems
• Teaching explicitly egalitarian views
• Practicing unbiased behaviors
• Learning to differentiate other-race faces
  (facial recognition training)
• Source Dasgupta 2008

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• III. Assembling a
• Multicultural Community

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In Your Words

• race, ethnicity, geographic origins, gender,
  social class, religion, age, sexual orientation
  regional cultures, beliefs, ideas, and visions
• Every student in the State of Illinois highly
  talented and interested in mathematics and
  science, should have an opportunity to benefit
  from IMSAs programs and services
• Historically underrepresented populations in
  math, science, and technology (elementary and
  middle school, high school students, faculty and
  staff) gifted talentedhigh ability/high
  potential

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(No Transcript)
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Black and Latino Children are Greatly
Overrepresented in the Poorest School Districts
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Black and Latino Students in Chicago Public High
Schools Less often Use Computers at Home (2005)
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Mapping Black Male Opportunity in Metro Chicago

• Opportunity Indicators
• crime rates
• property values
• homeownership rates
• vacant properties
• adult poverty rates
• child poverty rates
• population change

• Opportunity Indicators (cont)
• unemployment
• median household income
• public assistance
• reading and math scores
• low income students
• high school graduation rates
• high school dropout rates

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(No Transcript)
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Young white males (0-14) are 7 times more likely
than young black males to live in
high-opportunity areas
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IMSA Admissions Criteria

• Illinois students enrolled in the equivalent of a
  9th-grade program
• Demonstrated interest and talent in mathematics
  and science
• Grades
• Teacher evaluations
• SAT Reasoning test score
• Personal essays
• Leadership and co-curricular activities

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SAT Math Scores Rise Incrementally with Family
Income
Source http//www.fairtest.org/fairtests-reaction
-release-2007-sat-scores
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Rethinking Admissions? Four Possible
Considerations

• Strivers
• Beauty School or Military?
• Democratic Merit
• Expanding Opportunity for All

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IMSA Beliefs

• Everyone is a mystery with unknown and unknowable
  limits.
• All people have equal intrinsic worth.
• Personal success is internally defined.
• A persons potential is most fully actualized
  through physical, emotional, intellectual and
  spiritual harmony.
• No ones path in life is predetermined.
• All people have choices and are responsible for
  their actions.
• Human progress depends on personal growth.
• Everyone can lead.
• Meaning is constructed by the learner.
• Learning never ends.
• The ability to discern and create connections is
  the essence of knowing.
• Belonging to a community requires commitment to
  the common good.
• Indifference diminishes individuals and
  communities.
• Trust and respect are vital for any relationship
  to thrive.
• Diversity in community inspires discovery and
  creativity.
• Diverse perspectives enrich understanding.
• We are all stewards of our planet.
• Great leaps forward require bold ideas and
  actions.
• Change is natural and necessary for greatness.

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www.KirwanInstitute.org