Institutional Report - Standard 4: Diversity
Last Update: 1/15/04 *

The Purdue University Strategic Plan and teacher education conceptual framework provide the foundation for our commitment to diversity.  As one reflection of the institutional commitment to diversity, it is worth noting that Purdue University has more international students than any other public university in the nation and is third in international student enrollments among all universities.  The large numbers of international students on campus create a lively, multicultural environment for our candidates, which is further enhanced by a variety of campus services and activities that promote diversity, such as the Affirmative Action Office.  The vision statement from the Purdue Strategic Plan includes a commitment to the advancement of human and intellectual diversity and a diverse student body.  The University also has a nondiscrimination policy  that applies to all programs.  A similar commitment to diversity can be found throughout the College of Education Strategic Plan.

The larger commitment of the University and the College of Education to diversity is emphasized strongly in Purdue teacher education programs.  The undergraduate teacher education programs have been completely reformed since the early 90's and one of the hallmarks of the conceptual framework of the new programs is a commitment to diversity. In the new teacher education programs, diversity is defined broadly in a way that is consistent with the NCATE definition i.e. as differences among groups of people or individuals based on ethnicity, race, social economic status, gender, exceptionalities, language, religion, sexual orientation, and geographical area.

Diversity is incorporated in our programs in a variety of ways.  First, the initial teacher preparation programs require two common blocks of professional preparation.  In Block I the diversity emphasis is multicultural education and in Block II the diversity emphasis is students with special needs and talents.  Diversity represents more than 50% of the content of these two foundational blocks taken by teacher education candidates, including elementary, secondary, and special education majors at the undergraduate level.

Second, all programs integrate into their professional education methods coursework the knowledge, skills, and performances that enable candidates to effectively teach in diverse classrooms and respond to the academic, social, and emotional needs of diverse learners.  The specific ways that these programs address diversity proficiencies can be seen by examining the experiences and assessments that map to INTASC principle 3, "understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners."  Third, through field experiences, student teacher experiences, and practica each program provides opportunities to work in diverse classroom settings with diverse learners.  Some of the most exciting of these opportunities utilize another program hallmark, technology, to access diverse populations in remote sites such as East Chicago.

Element 1: Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Curriculum and Experiences

Since the last NCATE visit, the emphasis on diversity in Purdue teacher education programs has been increased substantially.  For example, the previous undergraduate programs had no required coursework regarding students with special needs and talents.  The new elementary and secondary initial licensure programs include a course on this aspect of diversity as well as one on multicultural education.  These courses are described in detail below.  Currently, diversity is one of four areas of special emphasis in all of the teacher education programs at Purdue.  Candidates in initial level preparation programs take Blocks I and II of the reformed teacher education program curriculum.   Block I introduces candidates to schools and the principles of multicultural education.  Block II introduces candidates to the principles of learning and motivation and students with special needs and talents.  Hence, as noted above, more than 50% of these two foundational blocks is devoted to helping candidates become prepared to teach in diverse classrooms.  In addition to these required, foundational courses which both secondary and elementary education candidates take at the beginning of their programs, methods courses in all teacher education programs infuse knowledge and activities that build skills for addressing the needs of diverse learners. 

EDCI 285 - Multiculturalism and Education (Block I)

The 3-credit hour Block I course - EDCI 285, Multiculturalism and Education and the field experience (TIP) component provide opportunities for candidates to demonstrate knowledge, dispositions, and performances related to diversity.  The course is required for all elementary and secondary education majors.  EDCI 285 serves as an introduction to the study of multiculturalism and its multiple meanings within American Society.  Candidates discuss and read a variety of theorists and perspectives on issues pertaining to multiculturalism, such as: race, class, gender, sexuality, language, ability, ethnicity, culture, power, literacy, and the significance of place.  Education is also a focus for this course as candidates examine where, how, and why multiculturalism intersects with education. The principal goal of this course is to promote a critical understanding of one's self as a social being in order to understand the how and why that shape dominant perspectives on political opinions, socioeconomic class roles, religious beliefs, gender roles, and racial self-image.  In EDCI 285 there is an experiential component, through a community-based "Theory into Practice" field experience that is taken concurrently with EDCI 205, Exploring Teaching as a Career.  A major objective for this curriculum is to help candidates develop a critical and reflexive understanding of who they are as individuals and social beings, examining how consciousness is/was constructed, promoting understanding through the complexity of difference.  During the course, candidates must select an activity from within the University or the larger community that will expose them to people from different cultures, social classes, religions, and perspectives.  Candidates also work with five of the highest poverty schools in the Lafayette School Corporation in after school programs. These experiences serve to place the candidate outside of their comfort zone and helps them to relate to the experiences of diverse people.  Candidates reflect on these experiences in a written paper. Faculty then provide feedback to the candidates on their reflections.

EDPS 265 - The Inclusive Classroom (Block II)

This course is required for all elementary and secondary education majors. It includes the following objectives:

• To understand disabilities and talents from a school as well as a personal perspective;
• To acquire a general knowledge base about different disabilities and talents;
• To understand the roles of general and special educators in providing services to students with identified disabilities and talents in collaboration with families and other professionals;
• To learn strategies for creating inclusive learning environments that support all students; and
• To learn strategies to differentiate instruction for all students.

In all Block II experiences, candidates continue to develop knowledge and understanding of diversity within the classroom, both personally and professionally, through the completion of a group project, case studies, student learning analyses, mini-assignments, and an authentic voice book report.  The group project is a cooperative learning activity that requires candidates to work together to develop an informative brochure about a special need or talent. Candidates work together in researching, developing and utilizing technology as they create a practical resource, which is then distributed to all members of their class.  The case studies and student learning analyses require candidates to observe and reflect on specific events and occurrences that involve students with special needs and talents within the classroom throughout their field experience and lecture components of the Block.  The mini-assignments and authentic voice book report require candidates to apply knowledge and skills about teaching diverse populations through the creation of instructional lessons and activities that include appropriate accommodations for diverse learners.  Candidates read and reflect on the lives about individuals with special needs and talents through the reading of an authentic voice book with a supplemental book report.  Finally, candidates amalgamate knowledge and skills by developing a Philosophy Statement.  As the high stakes artifact for Gate B of the teaching program, the Philosophy Statement combines all of the components of the Block while simultaneously meeting INTASC principles 2, 3, 4, 5 and 9.  Again, the course mappings indicate where and how these issues are addressed in each program of study.

Early Field Experiences

Blocks I, II, and III have a Theory into Practice (TIP) experience that is shared by two courses.  Block IV has a TIP experience that is shared by three courses.  Block V has a TIP experience that is shared by two courses.  This assists the candidate in seeing the school and classroom through two/three different lenses.  Block candidates are placed in a variety of schools for their TIP experience. 

Elementary candidates have a K-2^nd or 3^rd-6^th placement; secondary have a middle school or high school placement.  The following chart shows how a candidate's placement switches from Block I to Block II:

         Elementary:
         Block I - primary grade (K/1/2)                    Block II - intermediate grade (3/4/5/6)
         Block I - intermediate grade (3/4/5/6)           Block II - primary grade (K/1/2)
         Secondary (placed in major subject area):
         Block I - MS                                                Block II - HS
         Block I - HS                                                 Block II - MS                                        

The Office of Field Experiences makes a concerted effort to facilitate placements in two settings that are different with regards to diversity.  TIP placements are tracked by means of a database that includes information on the percentage of minority students in the school and the percentage of students on free and reduced lunch.

Innovations

In addition, we have created distance learning models for how candidates in large universities like Purdue that are located far from urban centers can expose candidates to multicultural, urban classrooms.  For example, candidates have the opportunity to be connected to diverse classrooms in an elementary school in East Chicago. In this experience, using video conferencing over the Internet, Purdue candidates interact with and teach bilingual and ESL students and work with a teacher experienced with teaching diverse students. For additional information about this unique field experience in East Chicago, view the PBS documentary,  PT³ NOW! 207 - Observation From a Distance, or visit the EDCI 205 Distance Education web site. 

The Diversity in the Classroom Project is a collaborative effort between the Diversity Resource Office, the School of Consumer and Family Sciences (CFS), the College of Education (COE), and the School of Liberal Arts (LA). Quoting from the project proposal, it is the intention of the project to link to "institutional and discipline-specific goals that will improve the environment for student learning as faculty share insights about diversity-related teaching, learning, and assessment.  The primary focus of the project will be on classroom practices and curriculum development that create student diversity competencies in behavior and intellectual abilities, both universal and discipline-specific."  This project is designed to improve the environment for student learning as faculty share insights about diversity-related teaching, learning, and assessment.  Activities last year included an International Practices Seminar led by Dr. Edgar Beckham, Senior Scholar, Association of American Colleges and Universities and a "Diversity in the Classroom" spring conference that was open to faculty, staff and students in the COE, CFS and LA. The spring conference featured contributions by Purdue faculty and national experts on Teaching Diversity and Teaching to Diversity. A second spring conference is planned for April 2004.  We are in the process of developing a series of small fall conferences starting 2004, based on a model developed at IUPUI.  Quoting from their IUPUI Multicultural Classroom Resource Guide, "We begin with General Issues of Diversity and Multicultural Education. Within that overall context, we identify the University environment (both the formal campus and surrounding community) as the local environment for our study and interventions. Within the University is the Classroom, the major stage for the dyad of Faculty and Student(s), in which Curriculum (Content) and Pedagogy (Methods) are the major instruments of teaching and learning. At the heart of it all is the necessary and challenging process of successfully managing Change."  These issues will inform the small conferences.

Finally, faculty are encouraged to develop Study Abroad experiences for teacher education candidates in order to increase their exposure to other cultures.  Currently, we offer Block I of the undergraduate teacher education in Honduras and Block III in Russia.  In the Block I experience, Purdue faculty teach the courses and the candidates work with American and Honduran teachers in a bilingual elementary school.  In Block III candidates are able to take courses taught by Purdue faculty in St. Petersburg Russia, as well as have a field experience in a bilingual school.  Consistent with the COE Strategic Plan, it is intended that these, and possibly other, study abroad experiences will become firmly embedded in our curriculum as options for all candidates.

Another enriching experience for candidates of EDCI 285, Multiculturalism and Education, is the Cultural Palooza held annually.  As stated in the invitation to staff, faculty, and graduate students, it is "a celebration of artistic expression, social justice and cultural diversity of low and moderate income children from local elementary and middle schools in partnership with Purdue University education students."  Candidates assist children to develop artwork related to self identity and social justice, which in turn, helps to improve the candidates' knowledge performances to teach at the elementary and middle school levels.

Because diversity is a theme in all teacher education programs at Purdue, each advanced level program has developed specific ways of ensuring that candidates develop the skills they need to work with students with all types of individual differences.  Some of the advanced level programs, such as Gifted and Talented Education, Special Education, and Speech and Hearing, focus intensely on a particular type of diversity.  All of the advanced level programs address the many ways that students can differ. In each advanced program description program conveners have described how the program addresses diversity.  For more specific descriptions of how each advanced program addresses diversity, please see these diversity sections of the individual program descriptions.

Courses and experiences at the advanced level incorporate diversity issues in a variety of ways.  For example, diversity issues, including those related to socioeconomic level, religion, culture/ethnicity, and sexual orientation are addressed throughout the two-year school counseling program.  EDPS 507, Counseling Multicultural and Diverse Populations, is required of all counseling candidates and challenges them to examine themselves in terms of their own racial identity development, but also in terms of being able to enter the world of children/adolescents from differing cultural backgrounds. EDPS 591S, School Counseling Seminar, and EDPS 665, Advanced Consultation Models and Practices in Special Education, both give considerable attention to children with special needs and associated parental concerns.  A new exchange program, with Fontys University in The Netherlands, which includes a Maymester course abroad for Purdue school counseling candidates, offers opportunity for international dialogue in a setting with a long history of cross-cultural dialogue.  On a local level, the school counseling program has instituted a cross-cultural dialogue at Tecumseh Middle School in which school counseling candidates discuss educational and acculturation issues with Latino students and their parents.

Element 2: Experiences Working with Diverse Faculty

As noted above, the vision statement of the Purdue Strategic Plan includes an emphasis on enhancing human and intellectual diversity.  Specific strategies that have been adopted to accomplish this include "Enhance human and intellectual diversity among students, faculty, staff, and administrators along with programs of support for career development, retention and success, and improving climate for diversity."  A portion of the funds raised through a recent increase in tuition have been allocated to diversity initiatives.  Metrics on the diversity of faculty, staff, and students are collected and reported annually in the Data Digest.  Hence, both initial and advanced level candidates at Purdue have increasing opportunities to work with faculty members from diverse backgrounds and with faculty who are committed to the importance of a strong emphasis on diversity issues in teacher preparation. 

To increase candidates' exposure to and interaction with diverse faculty, strategies such as hiring visiting faculty have been employed.  The College of Education has recently appointed a visiting international scholar from Taiwan, who is associated with the Gifted Education Resource Institute.

Presented in Tables 12 -14 are summary data for gender and ethnicity for the faculty of the West Lafayette and Purdue North Central campuses, separately and in combination.

Table 12. Ethnicity and Gender (WL Campus)

Table 13. Ethnicity and Gender (NC Campus)

Table 14. Combined Diversity Information for Both Campuses

 Recruitment of more minority faculty and graduate candidates is an emphasis in the university strategic plan.  A table regarding the diversity of recent hires is available in the Exhibit Room. This emphasis is having a positive impact on the diversity of faculty and candidates.  The percentage of minority faculty in the College of Education increased from 5% in 2002-03 to 13% in 2003-04.  The current percentage of minority faculty is very similar to that of the university as a whole (13.6%). 

Element 3: Experiences Working with Diverse Candidates

As noted above, Purdue emphasizes the importance of a diverse student body in its strategic plan and regularly collects metrics that assess progress in increasing the diversity of the student body.    As a result, candidates at Purdue University have a wonderful opportunity to interact with others that represent various types of diversity. 

Of the 30,908 undergraduates on Purdue's campus fall 2002, 12,838 (41.5%) were women vs. 12,951 out of 30.987 (41.8%) for fall 2001.   Ethnic minority students for the university as a whole in fall 2002 were distributed as follows:  989 were African American, 1,363 were Asian American, 128 were American Indian, and 670 were Hispanic.  The total ethnic minority undergraduate enrollment was 10.2% in 2002. 

As the data below shows, undergraduate candidates enrolled in teacher education programs at Purdue in the fall of 2003 are considerably more diverse than the university averages with respect to gender and somewhat less so with respect to ethnicity. Percentages of candidates in these categories of diversity have remained fairly constant for a ten year period. 

Table 15. Teacher Education Enrollment

 The next table compares the current minority enrollment in teacher education to the minority population of the State of Indiana and Tippecanoe County.

Table 16.   Current Minority Teacher Education Enrollment  
                    vs. State and County Population Statistics

The College of Education faces many challenges in increasing the diversity of teacher education candidates.  First, the percentage of African American students living in the region is much lower than that in the state because most of the African American population in Indiana is concentrated in large metropolitan areas.  African American students who are interested in teacher education typically enroll at campuses nearer to their homes such as Purdue Calumet (Gary) or IUPUI (Indianapolis).  Second, although there is a large Asian population in Tippecanoe County, most of these individuals are international students or faculty who are associated with schools like engineering.  These individuals are unlikely to pursue teaching degrees in the United States.  The Hispanic population may be a source of diversity for Purdue in the future, since it is growing rapidly.  However, currently, college age youth in this population are largely new arrivals to the United States who are not qualified for admission to the teacher education programs at Purdue. 

Of the 106 candidates enrolled in advanced programs in the College of Education, 5 represent candidates with diverse ethnic backgrounds.  An additional 5 international students are enrolled in the school in advanced programs bringing the ethnicity diversity total to 9.4%.  South Korea has the largest representation of international candidates within the school.  In addition, the two departments in the COE have outstanding records for the recruitment of minority graduate students.  In the fall of 2003, the Department of Educational Studies was in the top ten departments at Purdue for number of Hispanic (#6), African American (#2), and Native American Students (#1).   The Department of Curriculum and Instruction was in the top ten for number of Hispanic (#5) and Native American Students (#2).  (Source:  Dwight E. Lewis, Purdue Director of Minority Programs). 

Recruitment

The College of Education on the West Lafayette Campus has engaged in multiple initiatives to recruit a more diverse student body.  For example, we have participated in Project SET, participated in the Purdue Recruitment Council, created the COE Committee for the Recruitment and Retention of Underrepresented Students and Faculty, developed Guidelines for Recruiting, Hiring and Retaining a Diverse Faculty, and attended the Institute for the Recruitment of Teachers (IRT).  During the past year, Purdue was host to the highest number of IRT students in the history of this program.  Purdue also has strong relationships with Historically Black Institutions.  Students from these institutions who show an interest in education are actively recruited by Purdue teacher education programs.  The university has created a program called Science Bound that targets minority 7-12 students in Indianapolis who are interested in careers in science and math, including science and math education.  Students with talent are identified in 7^th grade and provided with numerous support programs throughout middle school and high school.  Science Bound students who stay with the program through the 12^th grade will be offered full-tuition scholarships to Purdue.  The first two cohorts have been identified and will be ready for college decision making in 2007 and 2008, respectively.  Finally, Purdue has a fellowship program that targets minorities at the graduate level called the Graduate Opportunities Fellowships.  The COE has three scholarships that target minority students at the undergraduate level.

Element 4: Experiences Working with Diverse Students in P-12 Schools

Enhanced field experiences are another hallmark of the reformed teacher education programs.  Candidates participate in field experiences much earlier and more frequently than they did in the past and, therefore, have much greater exposure to diverse students in P-12 schools.  They begin field experiences with Block I of the new program, continue experiences in Block II, and experience further schools and students during their methods courses.  There are a number of settings for early field experiences in the immediate nine-county area which are summarized below.  The demographics of the schools used for early experiences are summarized below.

During 2002-03:

93% of Block I field placements took place in 4 of the 9 counties: Carroll, Clinton, Montgomery, and Tippecanoe.

• The mean percentage of minority P-12 students in the Block I schools is 12.2%.  (It  increases to 15.42 % if you include East Chicago) 
• The average percent of students who quality for free or reduced lunch is 27.16%.  (It  increases to 29.31 % if you include East Chicago) 

100% of Block II field placements took place in 8 of the 9 counties: Benton, Carroll, Clinton, Fountain, Montgomery, Tippecanoe, Warren and White. 

• The mean percentage of minority P-12 students in the Block II schools is 9.03%. 
• The average percent of students who quality for free or reduced lunch is 22.55%.

100% of Block III field placements took place in 3 of the 9 counties: Carroll, Montgomery and Tippecanoe. 

• The mean percentage of minority P-12 students in the Block III schools is 17.71%. 
• The average percent of students who quality for free or reduced lunch is 23.14%. 

100% of Block IV field placements took place in 2 of the 9 counties: Tippecanoe and Warren. 

• The mean percentage of minority P-12 students in the Block IV schools is 14.83%. 
• The average percent of students who quality for free or reduced lunch is 25.33%. 

100% of Block V field placements took place in 2 of the 9 counties: Tippecanoe and White. 

• The mean percentage of minority P-12 students in the Block V schools is 16.25%. 
• The average percent of students who quality for free or reduced lunch is 37.25%. 

95.86% of Methods Class field placements took place in 7 of the 9 counties: Boone, Carroll, Clinton, Fountain, Montgomery, Tippecanoe, and White. The mean percentage of minority P-12 students in the Methods Class schools  is 13.33%.  (It increases to 15.95 % if you include East Chicago).  The average percent of students who quality for free or reduced lunch is 19.83%.  (It would increase to 21.94 % if you include East Chicago).  

Student teaching placements occurred in 75 school corporations throughout the state of Indiana with a great diversity of community types and student populations. Additionally on the average 1-2 students a year chose to student teach on a Southwestern Indian Reservation

As noted above, we also have created models for how large universities like Purdue that are located far from urban centers can expose candidates to multicultural, urban classrooms.  For example, our candidates have the opportunity to connect to diverse classrooms in an elementary school in East Chicago. In this experience, using video conferencing over the Internet, Purdue candidates interact with and teach bilingual and ESL students and work with a teacher experienced with teaching diverse students. For additional information about this unique field experience in East Chicago, view the PBS documentary,  PT³ NOW! 207 - Observation From a Distance, or visit the EDCI 205 Distance Education web site.  We also have developed an opportunity for candidates to engage in international education. In the initial block of the program they are able to take courses and have a field experience in Zamarano, Honduras. Purdue faculty teach the courses and candidates work with American and Honduran teachers in a bilingual elementary school.  In Block III candidates are able to take courses taught by Purdue faculty in St. Petersburg Russia, as well as have a field experience in a bilingual school. 

Another enriching experience for candidates of EDCI 285, Multiculturalism and Education, is the Cultural Palooza held annually.  As stated in the invitation to staff, faculty, and graduate students, it is "a celebration of artistic expression, social justice and cultural diversity of low and moderate income children from local elementary and middle schools in partnership with Purdue University education students."  Candidates assist children to develop artwork related to self identity and social justice, which in turn, helps to improve the candidates' skills and knowledge to teach at the elementary and middle school levels.

In many of our advanced programs, such as gifted education and educational leadership and cultural foundations, diversity placement generally depends on the setting where the candidate is located because internships and practica are integrated into candidates' assignments.  This has the advantage of making the experiences both more feasible for educators who are working full-time and thus, the experience is more applicable to their teaching or administrative responsibilities.  The table below provides an example of the type of diversity that is present in the schools involved in this type of program. 

Table 17.   Diversity Data in Educational Leadership
                  Building Level Internship Placements for the Past Two Years

 Notes:  Data for Special Education and % Free/Reduced Lunch are for the 2001-02 school year, the most recent available.  Data for % Minority are for the 2002-03 school year, the most recent available.

In other advanced programs, such as school counselor, candidates are placed in practicum and internship sites.   Annually, about half of school counseling practicum candidates and interns are in schools with at least 12% minority enrollment, usually one intern annually is placed in a school with approximately 50% minority.  Group-supervision classes, therefore, regularly include discussion related to cultural diversity in schools.  In addition, Purdue's school counseling program has sponsored semi-annual networking meetings for area school counselors for 5 years, with one meeting devoted entirely to educational concerns of the rapidly growing local Latino population.  All school counseling candidates are required to attend these meetings.

Evidence

* Please note, this site was prepared for the March 6-10, 2004, NCATE/IPSB Board of Examiners visit. The information posted here is available to the public and every attempt is being made to ensure its completeness and accuracy. If you have any updates or corrections, or have difficulty accessing or locating any documents, please contact T. J. Oakes, NCATE Coordinator, at oakest@purdue.edu or 765-494-5486, or contact Richard Frisbie, Assessment Coordinator and WebMaster at rfrisbie@purdue.edu or 765-494-2360.