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I think that andrea brings up some good ideas, which are tied to some of the discussion above. I think the idea that diversity in education needs to be begun at a young age is a good one-- because, as is mentioned multiple times above, younger people are more "accepting and open." One thing that I wanted to bring in here was actually the biological basis for this-- I've read multiple studies that speak to the increased neural plasticity in younger ages. (Ex. how you learn a language so much more easily when you're young)

Do we think the same thing applies to this idea of diversity? Are we at a biological disadvantage if we don't learn to be accepting/open early on? This ties into the personal narratives that were brought up in class; people who went to 'diverse' (self-identified) schools felt that issues of diversity were dealt with and addressed... or that the issues were not really even present simply because they were so ingrained in the educational system. Thinking about it this way was really interesting to me, because it seems to make the claim that we must work extra hard if we wish to integrate diversity into our educational system at a later age. However, to somewhat argue against my own statements here, I don't really like the idea that I am less able-- at the biological level-- to accept a diverse way of thinking. For some reason it bothers me less to say "I've been brought up with a certain mindset so its hard to change that" than to say "I'm biologically/neurologically fixed in some way so to 're-program' is tough." (I guess the issue of choice and personal agency are important to me!)

so i realize that little rant got a bit off the exact discussion topic, but I would love to hear what other people think or have to say about it.