Ascend public charter schools operate as a network of 10 K-12 public charter schools serving over 4,400 students in Brooklyn New York (ascend school, 2018). The chain of schools has a multiracial student population at the following ratios as at 2018; 76.0% African American, 8.8% White, 1.4% Multi-racial, 1.0% American Indian, 0.5% Pacific Islander and 0.3% Asian (ascend school, 2018). Strong Association and a comprehensive behavior policy associated with this type of school are some the critical characteristics that are linked to higher student performance in these schools compared to other neighborhood district schools (Memon et al., 2016).
Barriers in provision of Counselling
Accessing mental health especially among Black and Minority ethnic (BME) population has its unique set of challenges some of which may hamper the provision of effective counselling services. Cultural and socioeconomic exclusion factors such as stigma, fear and cultural models of illness mean that some of these ethnic populations may be unable to access services or may receive inadequate help from service providers (Memon et al., 2016).
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Recognition of mental health problems and the unwillingness to accept diagnosis of mental illness is also a barrier in seeking mental health services. The third challenge blocking the provision of effective counselling services to this population is the relationship between the service user and healthcare provider. Language barrier and poor communication greatly reduce the effectiveness of such treatment (Memon et al., 2016).
Impacts of Barriers to Student Achievement
Language barrier and poor communication may greatly hamper the academic performance of students. Failure to communicate effectively in their non-native language makes its hard to participate in class discussion and social interactions all of which may lead to stress which in turn reduces the performance.
Multicultural issues related to Student excellence
Cultural cohesion in a multiracial setting is a strong performance booster. For instance, facilitation of multicultural alliances at various departmental levels in schools as well as promoting activities that enhance school experience of students from historically underrepresented cultures greatly improves their zeal for academic excellence and cohesion (Memon et al., 2016).
Financial support by way of grants and scholarships helps bridge the social economic gap between the different racial backgrounds. For instance, equal scholarship opportunities for students irrespective of their racial background paves the way for all students to be motivated to perform better in their academics
The improvement of social networks within the community is beneficial to academic performance through the basis of sound and stable relationships between members of a community. The absence of good social networks polarizes cultural relations which in turn reduces academic performance.
Strategies to Improve Student Learning
The first strategy cultivating high performance in a culturally diverse population is to set and maintain high standards and expectations for all students. Students learn more when they are challenged by teachers who have high expectations of them, this makes students form individual opinions and use their judgement in the learning performance which translates to better academic performance.
Understanding the student’s diverse cultures also helps to boost their performance. When teachers have a better comprehension of their students’ behavior in and out of the classroom they are able to better advice both the students and parents on the right academic path. Finally Encouraging the participation of parents and guardians helps teachers to support crucial roles such as overcoming language barriers more effectively which in turn helps boost performance.
References
Ascend Charter School (2018). Ascend Charter School Student Population. Retrieved from https://teachereducation.steinhardt.nyu.edu/locations/ascend/
Memon A, Taylor K, Mohebati LM , et al
Perceived barriers to accessing mental health services among black and minority ethnic (BME) communities: a qualitative study in Southeast England
BMJ Open 2016; 6: e012337. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012337
