"Making Excellence Inclusive" in Education and Beyond

Abstract

In this article, we call for greater attention to the education of our country's broadening diverse population and for expanded efforts to transform how diversity initiatives are conceived and enacted. We summarize previous and current educational equity efforts, which are inadequate as currently crafted to address the needs of our stratified communities. We then focus on implementing strategies to achieve high levels of education for all students by first changing the public's perceptions about diversity from a shameful burden to an opportunity to utilize our inherent differences for leaming-a change that is necessary to fulfill America's democratic ideals of equal justice and equal opportunity for all. Finally, we discuss the consequences for educational institutions, the larger society, and our system of justice if the nation continues "business as usual," including failing to educate the full population at a time when our nation needs appreciably more educated persons for our own democratic vitality and to fuel the global economy.