Race is defined as a cultural category composed of people who share biologically transmitted traits that members of a society consider important. Ethnicity is a shared cultural heritage based on having common ancestors, language, or religion that confers a distinctive social identity. (Macionis, 2005)It is my opinion that the reason that "White and Asian students define success tin school as earning high grades or African-American students define success as doing as well as other black students and not falling or Hispanic students define success as attaining a white-collar job in an office after graduation" (CTUOnline, 2006) is because of today's academic standards and the use of stereotype development.The above statements are from Grace Kao, who is a renowned Professor of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. She received her BA in Sociology at UC, Berkley and her MA and PhD at the University of Chicago. She has done much research in race and ethnicity, Education, Adolescence, and Adaptation of Immigrants. Among her resume is a list of books that she has co-authored such as "Do Race and Ethnicity Matter among Friends" and "Interracial Relationships and the Transition to Adulthood". Dr. Kao has found a relationship between students in various racial and ethnic categories and the fact that they apply these stereotypes to themselves. (Macionis, 2005)Another reason that, while students of all racial and ethnic categories say they want to do well in school, they measure success only in relation to their own category. In saying this she means that as long as they don't fail, Black students feel success means doing as well as the other Black students. To Hispanics, success means avoiding manual labor and ending up in an office job and for White and Asians, success is earning high grades and going on to accomplishes something with their life. (Macionis, 2002)I believe that Jean Piaget's beliefs are correct. He believed that human development reflects both biological maturation and increasing social experience. First let your human clock wind you into what you are to be and second strive to make more of yourself than is expected of you, no matter what your race or ethnicity are. If our academic standards are held to a high point in life, so the student shall succeed. Look at our parochial and private schools and their achievement. I believe the teachers at these schools push the student along to achieve a better standard in life than what they expect regardless of race and ethnicity.References Cited:· Macionis, John S., Sociology (2005), 10th Edition from Pearson Prentice Hall published in Upper Saddle River, NJ.· Grace Kao, Ph.D, People at the University of Pennsylvania (2002) retrieved from www.ssc.upenn.edu/soc/People/kaograce,html
