The meanings and definition of “diversity” can change across different applications and contexts, but many such meanings have implications for racial difference and racial ideology in the United States. We provide a nationally representative analysis of how everyday Americans assess “diversity” in their own communities. We test how county-level racial, religious, economic, and political heterogeneity predict the view that one lives in a highly diverse locale; we also test how individual-level factors predict such a view. Among the four indicators of local difference, racial difference is most strongly and consistently associated with Americans’ assessments of local diversity. Individual-level factors do not weaken this relationship; rather, local context and individual-level factors conjointly predict assessments of local diversity. Despite the flexible, hyperinclusive nature of diversity discourse, local racial difference is salient in Americans’ assessments of “diversity” in their communities, and this pattern is not simply a product of individual-level factors. Our findings illustrate another dimension of the flexible-yet-racialized nature of diversity discourse in the United States. We also show that Americans are particularly aware of racial difference in their locale, which has implications for social and ideological responses to changing communities and a changing nation.

The keyword diversity is common in contemporary U.S. culture, but it can refer to many forms of difference; questions remain about the meaning and consequences of “diversity,” especially regarding whether this concept is commonly recognized in the American imagination and how diversity discourse relates to racial hierarchy in the United States. We use nationally representative survey data to address these questions through a critical race theory lens. First, we conduct factor analysis upon three different items that ask participants to evaluate or characterize “diversity.” These three items are well-predicted by a single latent factor, and this factor proves distinct from possible confounders such as prejudicial attitudes, misgivings about immigration and demographic change, and color-blind racial attitudes. Second, we see that diversity attitudes have a double-edged relationship with other attitudes that relate to racial hierarchy in the United States. Using regressions, we find that positivity toward diversity predicts equitable, non-racist stances on several race-related attitudes such as support for affirmative action and acknowledgment of white privilege. On the contrary, positivity toward diversity is also associated with core cultural ideologies which normalize racial inequality and implicitly denigrate minorities, such as color-blind racism and meritocracy. Thus, our study establishes that a coherent and distinct recognition of diversity exists in the American imagination and that diversity discourse has a double-edged relationship with racial hierarchy.

Many parent and family education programs lack a clearly articulated program theory that is solidly founded in the social science literature and used to guide rigorous evaluation.  This article describes the program theory for Parents Forever, a divorce education program developed by the Minnesota Extension to serve divorcing parents.  The Parents Forever program theory is theoretically based and empirically-informed.  The program theory is based on three significant frameworks, which serve as the theoretical foundation for the program: human ecosystems, life course development, and family resilience.  These theories are explored and discussed.  Three primary change mechanisms relevant for divorcing families serve as the empirical foundation of the program.  Parent-child and coparent relationships are commonly addressed in divorce education programs; however, the inclusion of parental self-care as the third mechanism to promote family resilience is a unique contribution of Parents Forever.  Relevant concepts derived from the empirical literature related to these three mediators are presented.  Connections between the curricular content and program theory (i.e., theoretical framework and three change mechanisms) are made explicit, and program theory is used to demonstrate the unique contribution that Parents Forever makes to the field of divorce education.

The long-term impact of a Latino financial literacy program was evaluated with a sample of relatively recent immigrant populations in southern Minnesota. Telephone and face-to-face interviews were conducted with participants 6 months post program completion. Results indicate that improvements in knowledge and skills were retained and that these learning were applied to make improvements in participants' financial situations. Participants acknowledged that more important than gaining knowledge was learning how to apply what they have learned. Implications for Extension are offered in terms of those factors that promoted the effectiveness of the financial literacy education.