What does "Normal America" look like from Demographic Point of View?

Diversity Colleagues,

What towns best describe "normal America" today? Oshkosh, Wisconsin; Lincoln, Maine; Ogden-Clearfied, UT; Lancaster, PA; Chattanooga or Knoxville, TN; or someplace else? What states are demographically most similar to the U.S. overall? California? Texas? Iowa? Utah? 

Take a look at this article by  economist Jed Kolko, a senior fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. You may be surprised.

The context of the article is the discussion leading up to an election of a new U.S. President, but the data may also have implications for how we think about education, including adult basic skills education. For example, should we look at how public education funding is distributed to states to see if altogether it reflects the national distribution of age, educational attainment, and race and ethnicity? Are there other characteristics, such as wealth or income, gender, and/or first language that should also be considered?  If 'Normal America', as the author argues, is "not a small town of white people" what are the implications for how we think about -- including the importance of -- diversity in the United States?

David J. Rosen

djrosen123@gmail.com

Comments

I appreciated the data shared in the article, David, along with the questions that you raised and to which I answer "Yes."

In addition, given that this community has been slow to generate discussions on how education, especially adult education among diverse groups, is perceived here, I wonder if we should even address "diverse" learners. Since we live in a nation that represents huge diversity in every way, and since former minority groups are now becoming majority groups, maybe we should adopt or create new terms as we find strategies to meet different needs. Are we creating separation instead of promoting equality?

In other words, instead of grouping the poor, racially and otherwise diverse learners, and those who often face discrimination based on gender, age, and more, maybe we should address each need specifically rather than addressing populations - issues instead of people.  If so, how would we do that?

Thanks for the questions and resource! Leecy