In addition, one of the biggest changes in schools today across the country, from the smallest of towns to the largest of cities, is the growth of the school-age population of the United States and its demographic shift.

America’s school-age population, ages 5 to 17, is projected to grow from about 51.5 million children today to 55.2 million in 2020, an increase of 7.2 percent, reports Education Week. Demographers also say that the majority of states will also see an increase in their minority enrollments between now and 2015.

Some educators question whether or not schools are prepared for such growing diversity. Ruth Ann Estler ’67, director of the curriculum for the Town of Boonton District (N.J.), says that she definitely has seen her district grow and that it actually "is more multicultural than most. Our students learn to live with people of a variety of cultures and don’t think anything of it."

Linda McCrae ’67, a Latin/German/English teacher in the Muhlenberg School District (Pa.), says that the population in her district has also become more diverse. "It’s really grown in the last 10 years with the expansion of people moving from the cities to the suburbs."

She adds, "Muhlenberg used to have a very Pennsylvania Dutch heritage, but now there are more and more Hispanic and black students. It’s good for the school," she says. "People aren’t living in their sheltered worlds anymore."

However, because of this demographic shift, challenges such as language barriers, recruitment of minority teachers and outreach to parents are commonplace in most school districts today.