Journal 2- Demographics and Diversity



My service learning placement is at Pleasant View Elementary School in Providence, Rhode Island. The statewide average for students eligible for free or reduced lunch in Rhode Island is 48%. At Pleasant View, 83% of the students are eligible for free or reduced lunch. This shows how few students at the school can afford basic necessities, like lunch. The statewide average for spending per pupil for the 2013-2014 school year was $15,923 but Pleasant View spent $17,049. Pleasant View Elementary spent over $1,000 more than most schools in the state per student and that does show that the school cares about their students. This spending amount is surprising due to how many students have free/reduced lunch.
In the classroom that I am in, it is impossible to tell that this school mostly has poorer children. The classroom is colorful and fun and has everything a kindergarten classroom needs, with its many books and helpful posters around the room. My classroom has a bin full of twenty Dr. Seuss books and so many posters about the alphabet and important words they need to know. I have not been in other classrooms at this school so I am not sure if the teacher I am working with has paid for her classroom supplies out of her own pocket or if the school provided some classrooms materials to her.
Pleasant View Elementary School is 61% Hispanic, 14% African American, and 13% white. The other 11% of the students are either Asian or multiracial and the last 1% is Native American. Even though the population of white students is low, the large majority of teachers are white. This can be problematic because students cannot relate to their teachers about important things, such as problems students may face because of their race.
The demographics do not affect me but I want the students to be able to relate to their teachers and it can be really hard because their teacher is also a white female and I want them to know that people like them can be in positions of power in the future. There are students in the classroom who have told me they want to become teachers and that does make me feel better.

I wish schools in Rhode Island and the rest of the country become more integrated so every student has the same chance at success.

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