Clifford Adelman's critique of diversity rhetoric in American education

Diversity: Walk the Walk and Drop the Talk

The article by Clifford Adelman emphasizes the continuing inequity and low level of educational standards among the ethnic and racial minorities in the U.S.A. despite all the rhetoric about "diversity" that permeates our language. The author believes that the over-emphasis on "diversity" in educational institutions is misplaced; it hides the realities, and conveniently leads to avoidance of the hard work that is needed to improve the quality of education among the black and Latino minorities. The problem, according to the article, lies in the vagueness of the term "diversity" itself and the way in which it is defined and implemented from the perspective of the majority population. The result of this misplaced application of 'diversity' is that the policy makers and implementing agencies are more concerned about superficial issues such as "diversity counts" and "access rates" of minority students in secondary schools rather than being focused on removing inequity and helping disadvantaged students genuinely enhance their skill and knowledge levels. The author goes on to recommend that instead of taking the easy out by engaging in useless 'word games' about diversity, we should take practical steps for helping the minority students acquire more resources that enhance their chances of success in life.