The United States is a melting pot of diverse cultures, a fact that has always instilled a great deal of pride in Americans. As more and more diverse cultures begin to call America home, the diversity of the American people is thriving now more than ever. While this influx is a nod to the greatness of this nation, ever-increasing cultural differences bring issues that need to be addressed, particularly when it comes to education. The reality is that for most students outside the dominant culture, achievement gaps exist and cultural attachments are rejected. For too long, diversity in the classroom has been met with feelings of frustration from educators who do not understand the need to be culturally responsive. Diversity within the educational context is not a negative concept, but it brings challenges that must be promptly addressed by educators and schools as a whole when it comes to ensuring effective education and equal opportunities for all. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay With increasing diversity in U.S. schools, achievement gaps continue to be seen among various groups of students due to a variety of factors . It has been stated that "by the time the 2020 U.S. Census is conducted, more than half of the nation's children are expected to be part of a racial or ethnic minority group." Unfortunately, as the student population becomes more diverse, the number of teachers continues to shrink. This is clearly seen through the studies of Robinson and Clardy (2011): “The disparity between the cultural and linguistic diversity of the teaching and student populations continues to grow as teacher education programs enroll and graduate primarily White teacher candidates ( 83.7%)”. The problem is clear and the only solution is to educate teachers and school leaders in the art of embracing diversity. When it comes to diversity in education, it is an unfortunate reality that issues such as classism and racism have a profound negative effect on education. student performance. Research has shown that “inadequate wages, substandard housing, and poor health care create living conditions that place many poor and racial/ethnic minority students at a disadvantage from the beginning of their formal education.” Students have no control over their social circumstances, and the fact that teachers have no control over those same circumstances can often make bridging the gap seem impossible. Regardless of the reason behind declining academic achievement, learning gaps cannot be accepted by educators as a consequence of diversity. Instead, diversity should be celebrated with sincerity, a strategy that can only serve to alleviate achievement gaps. Given that teachers are often unprepared to understand different cultures and how to best interact with students from minority groups, the primary goal of schools seeking significant change should be to educate teachers to teach appropriately to diverse groups of students. In fact, the reality is that many teachers strive to appear to embrace other cultures by holding events that include food, dancers, and guest speakers that reflect different cultures. Smith (2016) goes on to call these events “merely the superficial surface that extends and offers a glimmer of appreciation.” Teachers who dopart of the dominant culture cannot afford to offer only a superficial understanding of what their students identify with so strongly. Hawley, Irvine, and Landa further emphasize this point: “Culture is not just a list of shared holidays or recipes, religious traditions, or language; it is a unique lived experience for each individual.” Educators must move beyond superficial understandings of different cultures to truly understand the concept of cultural responsiveness. It is only when students feel safe, accepted and have the confirmation that they can learn without limits. As previously mentioned, teachers must be trained to be culturally responsive to reach all students and treat them fairly. The acceptance of all students is a huge responsibility that cannot be taken lightly. A first step in becoming more culturally responsive is self-reflection: “Learning to teach diverse students requires teachers to examine their beliefs about teaching and explore the effectiveness of their practices in accommodating various cultures, lifestyles and learning styles of their students” ( Vandeyar, 2017, p.377). No one wants to admit they have biases when it comes to different students, but sometimes educators don't even realize their own biases. When an English language teacher is dealing with a student who does not speak English for the first time, it is easy to let frustration creep in and cloud judgment when it comes to making decisions that are in the student's best interest. For this reason, it is imperative that educators take a step back and reflect on possible misunderstandings when dealing with students who come from different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Not only is it important to recognize your own biases, but it is also crucial to make an effort to understand the cultures of minority students, especially when it comes to different communication styles. Many students from the dominant culture feel the need to quickly raise their hand or give immediate answers; however, if teachers continually address the same groups of students without addressing others equally, students may get the misconception that their contributions are not important. While some students are all too eager to participate in class discussions, others deeply believe that silence should precede vocal communication. “For example, introverts and students from some cultural backgrounds are acculturated to the need to allow silence before speaking.” In this article, it is suggested that teachers take this into account and allow a short period of time where all students take a certain period of time to reflect before they can speak. By making small changes like this, educators are taking into account the cultures of all students and reshaping the atmosphere to ensure inclusivity. Furthermore, promoting a clear understanding of different communication styles is essential to avoid violating cultural values ​​and “to better decipher their intellectual abilities, needs and skills; and teach them style or code-switching skills so that they can communicate in different ways with different people in different contexts for different purposes” (Gay, 2002, p.112). In a global society, it is critical that students have the ability to understand and communicate effectively. This type of culturally responsive teaching can only take place when educators are well trained in diversity. The problem is that not enough districts provide this type of training to educators. In a study conducted by Robinson and Clardy (2011), theyfound that teacher candidates were often unprepared to teach culturally and linguistically diverse students: “…their attitudes and dispositions toward students are critical because their thoughts about current and future students greatly impact their willingness to learn and use the pedagogies necessary to effectively teach CLD students. They show their attitude towards diversity long before they enter classrooms as teachers.” This highlights the needs teacher candidates have for support and early training when it comes to diversity, as their biases can influence their willingness to learn. This particular study highlights the ignorance of mindsets that embrace the belief that every child should do their best to blend in with the dominant culture. This is a gross misrepresentation of what it means to be culturally responsive. It is also worth noting that diversity is not contained in classism and racism. “Diversity in schools includes sexual orientation, gender, and gender identity/expression.” Teachers need to be sensitive to the fact that they may very well be teaching students who have difficulty identifying with their natural gender. Some students will live in homes with two mothers or two fathers. While this may lead to some confusion for many classroom teachers, students are the ones who become victims if they are not treated fairly, regardless of their unique background. Lilienthal et al. (2018) go on to point out that the extent to which teachers choose to support students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning can lead to the level of minority stress a student experiences (p. 14). It goes without saying that stress can have a major impact on student learning. Glickmann et al. (2013) further support this statement by exposing the problems associated with stress that LGBTQ students may experience: “frequent absences, less involvement in school activities, poorer grades, and a higher dropout rate than heterosexual students.” If the goal is to close achievement gaps for minority groups, then teachers must find ways to support students of all backgrounds, even if they do not fully understand or agree with choices regarding identity or sexual orientation. From a scriptural perspective, the fair treatment of all students can be seen as a moral obligation for those who have been called to pursue education as a profession. Treating students with honor is not an option, but a duty. Romans 15:5-7 is an inspiring verse addressing this very topic: “May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you to live in complete harmony with one another, as befits the followers of Christ Jesus. Then you may all unite with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (The Holy Bible, New Living Translation). Clearly, Christians must live in harmony with others. There is no mention of qualifying characteristics in this verse. We too are exhorted to welcome one another just as Christ welcomed us. Christ's love is unconditional. No one has to look a certain way or speak a certain language to benefit from the love of Christ. Therefore, this should serve as an example of how Christian educators must welcome students of diversity. While it may be a challenge, becoming culturally responsive is an obligation that educators must be willing to embrace even if some of the lifestyle choices students make seem irrational or immoral. Froma Christian point of view, some of the decisions made by students are foreign and challenging to the belief systems of some educators. This may increase difficulties in teaching diverse students, but Christians are always expected to speak the truth in love. Teachers can and should make their views known responsibly without attempting to impose them on others. I Corinthians 9:22-23, Paul says, “When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, because I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything I can to spread the Good News and share its blessings.” These words reflect the importance of building a relationship with others. The idea of ​​finding common ground to “save” some is very appropriate to the context of teachers and how they relate to students. Regardless of their different backgrounds, it is worth trying to save students. Educators have a responsibility to do the best they can for all students, regardless of race, socioeconomic status, gender identity, linguistic diversity, or sexual orientation. It is vital that all students are seen as equally capable and worthy of any investment. With this in mind, educators are not the only ones with a responsibility to serve students impartially. Schools as a whole need to be involved to promote a climate of equity. This is beyond the scope of the classroom teacher in certain situations. For example, many schools adopt the attitude that minority students should adapt to the dominant culture. According to Gay (2001), “…to date, US education has not been very culturally responsive to ethnically diverse students. Instead, these students are expected to separate from their cultures and learn according to European-American cultural norms.” Expecting students to blend into the dominant culture is an outdated and inappropriate approach. Many schools are exploring the idea of ​​implementing bilingual education to encourage diversity and learning among student groups. This is a progressive step forward in the fight to eradicate cultural bias and encourage learning for all students. However, it is not an easy solution. The lack of bilingual teachers and necessary resources creates obstacles to bilingual education that are difficult to overcome. Additionally, public schools are held to accountability standards that draw attention away from addressing diversity and focus efforts on meeting high-stakes testing goals: “Instead, professional development time is often spent analyzing data and a limited set of interventions aimed at increasing student achievement on assessments. Bilingual education requires a significant departure from such practices” (Kotok & DeMatthews, 2018, p. 4). This is probably one of the biggest obstacles to creating culturally responsive schools. Until administrators at the district level understand the importance of implementing programs that train teachers to exhibit culturally responsible behavior, there is little hope that achievement gaps among minority students will narrow. Smith notes, “This is where the term 'cultural competence' in the life of a school administrator is just as important as terms like 'meeting,' 'assessment,' 'observation,' 'common core,' and 'assessment'” (p. 18 ). Furthermore, the curriculum must be diverse beyond just the superficial level to be truly effective for all students. With the current emphasis of schools nationwide on testing.2017.2.0314