Paint by Number? How the Race and Gender of Law School Faculty Affect the First-Year Curriculum

Abstract

as well as EDP Consultant Linda Wightman; without their visionary efforts EDP would not exist and this article could not have been written. We also thank all researchers involved in data collection and analysis for EDP, and especially the many law students who participated in this project. This paper benefited from comments received during a presentation as part of the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting in April 2007. We also thank Joel Marrero and the other editors at the Chicano-Latino Law Review.

A compelling interest: Activating the benefits of classroom-level diversity.

“…Marin (2000) additionally concluded professors need to consider their role as facilitators rather than simply as knowledge-givers, allowing students (and faculty) to learn from each other, and that faculty must work to create settings where all students are included and valued so that benefits can be realized by all. Nonetheless, Deo et al (2010) found law students differed in their assessments of faculty who incorporated diversity—many appreciated the context and felt it improved their understanding of the law, whereas others preferred it be excluded, a finding echoed and further examined in this article. Deo et al (2010) used the same data as the current study, however our study examines the effects of structural diversity in a classroom and how professors can best leverage the diversity of students’ experiences to achieve learning and democracy benefits, leading to important implications for both policy and practice.…”

“…Nonetheless, Deo et al (2010) found law students differed in their assessments of faculty who incorporated diversity—many appreciated the context and felt it improved their understanding of the law, whereas others preferred it be excluded, a finding echoed and further examined in this article. Deo et al (2010) used the same data as the current study, however our study examines the effects of structural diversity in a classroom and how professors can best leverage the diversity of students’ experiences to achieve learning and democracy benefits, leading to important implications for both policy and practice.…”

“…Conversely, when classrooms lack structural (or curricular) diversity, all students miss the educational benefits of diversity, and students of color often feel silenced or tokenized (Deo et al, 2010). Participants lamented that class discussions could remain purely theoretical and sometimes lacked context when classes were racially homogenous-causing the entire discussion to gloss over important linkages and miss out on divergent perspectives.…”

“…Research at both the undergraduate and law school level make clear that some professors are more adept at engaging diversity than others. In fact, female and black, Latina/o, and Native American faculty are more likely than male and white faculty members to use pedagogical tools, like cooperative group learning and incorporating readings about race/ethnicity or gender in their curriculum (Deo, 2011; Deo, Woodruff, & Vue, 2010; Hurtado, 2001; Nelson Laird, 2011; Reason, Cox, Lutovsky, Quaye, & Terenzini, 2010). Thus, it appears that the availability of a diverse faculty, much like a diverse student body, is a necessary component to yielding the benefits of classroom diversity (Hurtado, 2001).…”

“…Structural diversity of the faculty, however, is insufficient to extracting educational benefits—it is also a matter of how instructors elicit and engage the diverse perspectives their students bring to the classroom. Given the quality (i.e., positive) of cross-racial interactions strengthens the gains derived (Chang, 2011) and that faculty insensitivity to issues of diversity can create a hostile learning environment (Deo et al, 2010), it is imperative faculty know how to facilitate quality intergroup contact and learning within their classrooms (Valentine, Prentice, Torres, & Arellano, 2012). For example, faculty can promote positive cross-racial interaction by including racial/ethnic diversity in course content, providing cooperative in-class and out-of-class learning activities, and using classroom practices that reduce competition among students.…”