Demographic Trends Point Way to Greater Diversity in Educational Consulting

August 4, 2009 | no comments

by Mark Sklarow, Executive Director, IECA

Wednesday marks the opening of the Independent Educational Consultant’s Association Summer Training Institute. The first presentation I will make will speak to the trends impacting the profession, at least how I see them. One of these is the marked changes taking place to the demography of the nation.

Most people already know that within the next ten years a number of states will see no racial majority. That is, in states like Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California the white population will fall below 50%. Less understood is that by 2020 nationwide white population will fall to about 64%, African-Americans will grow slightly to about 13%, Asian population to almost 6% and Hispanic population will grow to 16%. Simply understanding this trend is critical for a field that is committed to helping students of all backgrounds and cultures succeed academically.

I say this is critical as today the vast majority of educational consultants—perhaps 80%—are Caucasian. In order to be welcoming of the growing numbers of minorities, our group must learn to reach out, understanding the language, culture and values brought into a school, college or program search. This also means increasing the numbers of consultants from Asian, Black, Hispanic, as well as other groups and cultures. This may mean understanding that the paths people take to the profession are varied and unique but equally valued.

There is another set of numbers that really drive home the change taking place. The figures sited above reflect the U.S. Population as projected for 2020. Instead, look at the projections for high school students in 2020—a more important subgroup for anyone in this field.

In 2020 only 55% of high schoolers will be white, 17% African-American, 7% Asian and 20% Hispanic. That reflects a growth of almost 90% among Hispanic students with the population growing fastest in the West, MidWest and Northeast.

Of course it’s so important not to categorize all Asians, Hispanics, or any group as singular. The social, educational, and cultural differences between Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Peruvian families, for example, are as pronounced as their similarities.

One thing is clear: As the profession of educational consulting matures, a test will be how effectively we meet the challenges and opportunities presented by the growth of minority populations.