Empathy is the ability to understand other people perspectives that are different from your own. In school systems it is especially important for students to develop empathy. One way to foster an empathetic mindset in students is to expose them to classes that are diverse with teachers and students from different cultures, religions, races, and backgrounds. In many public high schools students are segregated by honors and academic courses. The honors classes are predominately white students taught by white teachers and the academic classes are mainly students of color. Research shows that student’s learning outcomes are better in diverse classrooms. All students would benefit if all classes were more diverse.
