Tukwila: The Most Diverse School District in the Country
by Manny Frishberg
Tukwila is, in some ways, a microcosm of what is happening across America. A mostly blue-collar suburb sandwiched between Seattle and Federal Way – Washington’s largest and fifth largest cities – Tukwila has undergone a sea of change in its ethnic makeup.
Just 15 years ago, the small city’s economy was stimulated by the aerospace giant, Boeing, and a large shopping mall, which together provided the predominantly White town’s property and sales tax revenues. But, a push by King County to build more low-income apartment complexes on one end of town attracted waves of new immigrants from the Horn of Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands.
The burgeoning population of Ukranians, Bosnians from the former Yugoslavia, Somalis, Ethiopians, Eritreans and Latinos has resulted in the 3,000-student strong Tukwila School District flipping from a 75 percent White majority to a 75 percent ethnic majority population. According to USA Today and Time, this makes Tukwila the most ethnically diverse school district in America.
Showalter Middle School
Students at Showalter Middle School in Tukwila, WA, the nation’s most diverse school district.
A few years ago, the school district’s annual report featured a pie-chart of the students’ racial backgrounds that was virtually evenly divided, with only the Native American population occupying a tiny sliver. Yet, even that did not paint the true picture, since the students are both Africans – nearly a quarter of the student population – and African Americans, while the kids from Eastern Europe are classified as White. Most are first-generation Americans.
“In practical terms,” says Tukwila Schools’ Superintendent Ethelda Burke, “it means you’ve got to recognize, every day, you’re dealing with people who don’t always do things the same, think the same, speak the same and who don’t learn the same. So, you’re constantly looking for ways to not only communicate with the parents, but to communicate with the kids. You’re looking for ways to differentiate your instruction so that you are teaching to the needs of the kids.”
Burke knows from her own life what it is like to be in the minority. She grew up in Portland, Oregon, at a time when African Americans, then the predominant people of color, made up a smaller percentage of the local population than in most of the rest of the country. After graduating from Portland State University, she moved to the Puget Sound for graduate school and to earn her teaching credentials. She taught math and business in Tacoma area high schools for 20 years before moving into administration, serving as vice principal and principal at some of Tacoma’s largest high schools. In 2007, she was appointed interim superintendent of the Tukwila School District and was given the job on a permanent basis the following year.
“We have huge challenges because many of our kids who come here have never been in a formal education setting before,” Burke explains. “They don’t speak English, they don’t have the social understanding in order to develop their friendships and get the support of their peers. Yet, it doesn’t take very long after they’ve been here to get that.”
One program that has made great strides in achieving this assimilation is the English-Language Learners’ classes (formerly known as ESL), which serves students who speak some 65 different languages at home. About half the children in the district speak a second language at home and need at least some special help with the language barrier.
“In fact, many, many of our parents are not English-speaking parents,” Burke says. “Many of our parents are not even literate in their own language, so there’s that challenge in being able to communicate effectively with parents. Also, of being able to offer some support, because most of our parents are eager to be involved with their students’ education.”
One of the ways the school district has responded to this challenge is to offer adult basic English language classes at night. Another solution is the monthly parent information meetings that are held in the families’ native languages.
In addition to the complex language and cultural issues the students face in the classrooms, poverty is also a common problem. Nearly three-quarters of the students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
“In a community like this, with a huge immigrant and homeless population, the majority of the people are poor,” says Burke. “So, it means that every day you’re trying to think of ways to provide resources and support to make it better for them. At the end of the day, maybe they’ve learned or gained something that is going to make them able to operate in this society. It is so different from what most teachers in most districts have to deal with on a day-to-day basis.”
Ethelda Burke
Ethelda Burke, Superintendent of Tukwila School District.
Although the student population in all five of Tukwila’s schools are predominantly children of color and the administrators have come to more closely resemble the students, Superintendent Burke acknowledges that building an ethnically diverse teaching staff has proved to be a much harder job. She cites Foster High School as an example, which has just one African American male teacher, yet a 30 percent African and African American student population. Qualified teachers of color are in high demand and there are relatively few incentives that a small district like Tukwila can offer as enticement.
Yet, for all the challenges, Burke is energized by her job. And, she says, the students are getting a great opportunity by being there.
“What we have here is a group of almost 3,000 kids who don’t know anything different than living with, working with, making friends with, loving, fighting with people from all around. These kids will be able to work with and develop relationships with anyone because they’ve been in classrooms with them forever,” she says. “That’s just a huge advantage, I believe.”
by Manny Frishberg
Tukwila is, in some ways, a microcosm of what is happening across America. A mostly blue-collar suburb sandwiched between Seattle and Federal Way – Washington’s largest and fifth largest cities – Tukwila has undergone a sea of change in its ethnic makeup.
Just 15 years ago, the small city’s economy was stimulated by the aerospace giant, Boeing, and a large shopping mall, which together provided the predominantly White town’s property and sales tax revenues. But, a push by King County to build more low-income apartment complexes on one end of town attracted waves of new immigrants from the Horn of Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands.
The burgeoning population of Ukranians, Bosnians from the former Yugoslavia, Somalis, Ethiopians, Eritreans and Latinos has resulted in the 3,000-student strong Tukwila School District flipping from a 75 percent White majority to a 75 percent ethnic majority population. According to USA Today and Time, this makes Tukwila the most ethnically diverse school district in America.
Showalter Middle School
Students at Showalter Middle School in Tukwila, WA, the nation’s most diverse school district.
A few years ago, the school district’s annual report featured a pie-chart of the students’ racial backgrounds that was virtually evenly divided, with only the Native American population occupying a tiny sliver. Yet, even that did not paint the true picture, since the students are both Africans – nearly a quarter of the student population – and African Americans, while the kids from Eastern Europe are classified as White. Most are first-generation Americans.
“In practical terms,” says Tukwila Schools’ Superintendent Ethelda Burke, “it means you’ve got to recognize, every day, you’re dealing with people who don’t always do things the same, think the same, speak the same and who don’t learn the same. So, you’re constantly looking for ways to not only communicate with the parents, but to communicate with the kids. You’re looking for ways to differentiate your instruction so that you are teaching to the needs of the kids.”
Burke knows from her own life what it is like to be in the minority. She grew up in Portland, Oregon, at a time when African Americans, then the predominant people of color, made up a smaller percentage of the local population than in most of the rest of the country. After graduating from Portland State University, she moved to the Puget Sound for graduate school and to earn her teaching credentials. She taught math and business in Tacoma area high schools for 20 years before moving into administration, serving as vice principal and principal at some of Tacoma’s largest high schools. In 2007, she was appointed interim superintendent of the Tukwila School District and was given the job on a permanent basis the following year.
“We have huge challenges because many of our kids who come here have never been in a formal education setting before,” Burke explains. “They don’t speak English, they don’t have the social understanding in order to develop their friendships and get the support of their peers. Yet, it doesn’t take very long after they’ve been here to get that.”
One program that has made great strides in achieving this assimilation is the English-Language Learners’ classes (formerly known as ESL), which serves students who speak some 65 different languages at home. About half the children in the district speak a second language at home and need at least some special help with the language barrier.
“In fact, many, many of our parents are not English-speaking parents,” Burke says. “Many of our parents are not even literate in their own language, so there’s that challenge in being able to communicate effectively with parents. Also, of being able to offer some support, because most of our parents are eager to be involved with their students’ education.”
One of the ways the school district has responded to this challenge is to offer adult basic English language classes at night. Another solution is the monthly parent information meetings that are held in the families’ native languages.
In addition to the complex language and cultural issues the students face in the classrooms, poverty is also a common problem. Nearly three-quarters of the students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
“In a community like this, with a huge immigrant and homeless population, the majority of the people are poor,” says Burke. “So, it means that every day you’re trying to think of ways to provide resources and support to make it better for them. At the end of the day, maybe they’ve learned or gained something that is going to make them able to operate in this society. It is so different from what most teachers in most districts have to deal with on a day-to-day basis.”
Ethelda Burke
Ethelda Burke, Superintendent of Tukwila School District.
Although the student population in all five of Tukwila’s schools are predominantly children of color and the administrators have come to more closely resemble the students, Superintendent Burke acknowledges that building an ethnically diverse teaching staff has proved to be a much harder job. She cites Foster High School as an example, which has just one African American male teacher, yet a 30 percent African and African American student population. Qualified teachers of color are in high demand and there are relatively few incentives that a small district like Tukwila can offer as enticement.
Yet, for all the challenges, Burke is energized by her job. And, she says, the students are getting a great opportunity by being there.
“What we have here is a group of almost 3,000 kids who don’t know anything different than living with, working with, making friends with, loving, fighting with people from all around. These kids will be able to work with and develop relationships with anyone because they’ve been in classrooms with them forever,” she says. “That’s just a huge advantage, I believe.”
