A couple of years ago, I had a conversation with someone about the value of a diverse student body for teenagers in regard to the possible regionalization between Pioneer Valley Regional District and Gill-Montague Regional District and he asked “Why is diversity important?” I talked about opportunities to learn about difference and to have a larger world view and he shrugged off my response as if these were unimportant. I have thought about that question and my response a lot over the past several months. Maybe he already had his own answer or maybe my answer wasn’t strong or clear enough but I wasn’t satisfied with the exchange.
For me, one of the primary benefits of regionalization would be a more diverse student population that all students should benefit from. The majority of all studies about diversity, a mix of people who are socially, economically, racially, culturally, ethnically and identity diverse from each other, within student populations, point to more positive outcomes for all students. In classroom settings, in social groups, in the cafeteria or in clubs or sports teams, learning and being with others who look, act, believe, think differently than you is one of the great gifts of living in the United States. In Massachusetts, half of all students in our public schools are non-white and according to the government census and several other sources, America will continue to become more racially and ethnically diverse over the next 25 years. Diverse student populations prepare students for a wider world view and contribute to a healthier global community and economy.
The civic and social-emotional benefits of learning, working, playing and socializing with a diverse high school population can be seen in the moment but will play out over the course of a person’s life. A diverse school can help reduce racial bias and counter stereotypes. Positive interactions with a wide range of people builds knowledge, understanding and confidence. Interacting with people from different backgrounds encourages students to think about different viewpoints, increasing communication and curiosity. Collaboration and teamwork can bring people together to work towards consensus. Diverse schools encourage and support students to accept differences and acknowledge other ways of being and thinking, creating a more open-minded, respectful and accepting population. When we connect to other people who are different from us, we develop empathy and understanding.
I work in a high school that enjoys the benefits of a socio/economically, racially, culturally and identity diverse student body. The state’s Department of Education likes to break the student population of every school up by race and ethnicity and create a profile of selected populations. Is Pioneer’s identity profile dramatically different from Turners? The percentage of students who identify as non-white is higher in Turners along with the number of students who identify as low income and non English first language speakers. Are these factors a concern for families from Pioneer? I don’t have an answer for that.
At Greenfield High School, we celebrate an event called World Cultures annually, and have a strong Students of Color Club and Spectrum Club for students who identify as LGBTQ+. It is a school and staff that works to include and support all students and, in general, students are comfortable, respectful and supportive of everyone’s varied identities. I am not intimately familiar with Turners Falls High School but I assume it is a supportive place for all its students and their various identities. The same should also be said of Pioneer.
I have shared my belief in a past My Turn that high school students do well psychologically when they have a more varied and wider peer group in terms of building identity. I also share now, as a clinical social worker and longtime school counselor who has worked with teenagers for almost 40 years, that students do well psychologically when they have a diverse peer group in terms of building ego. That is the answer I should have given to that person years ago. I believe that regionalization between Gill-Montage and Pioneer will benefit students in ways that we cannot even imagine, including diversifying, enriching and expanding perspectives and world views for these students.
Deborah A. Potee, LICSW, lives in Northfield.