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182 Difference

overall tone in particular classrooms, the more formal discourse style can still ex-
ert an influence that, in combination with other factors, impacts the overall effect
of the teaching (e.g., giving a more relaxed professorial approach a nonetheless
somewhat stylized feel).
Another factor worth considering in this regard is the effect of a critical mass of
fellow students of color in the class. As can be seen in Table 8.2, there is some vari-
ability among the classrooms in terms of the proportions of students of color; mi-
nority student cohorts range from 23% in Class #2 to 6.6% in Class #3. The cohorts
are largest in the elite and prestige law schools of the study and grow smaller as we
move down the status hierarchy. Although the two classes with the largest minority
cohorts have positive participation rates for students of color, the class with the third-
largest minority cohort (Class #5, with a cohort fairly comparable in size to Class
#2’s) is one of the worst classrooms in this study in terms of minority participation
rates. So it appears that, at least in the classes of this study, a substantial cohort alone,
absent other conditions, may not be enough to create an inclusive classroom for stu-
dents of color. This is underscored by the fact that the two classes with the smallest

table 8.2

Class Size and Cohort Data by Race

Percentage of Participation Ratios:

Class Class Size Students of Color Turns

Elite/Prestige

2* 135 23.0 .89

8* 32 46.9 .57

5 98 19.3 2.00

Regional

4 106 12.3 .87

7 90 7.7 1.06

Local

1 115 11.3 4.44

6 53 11.4 .99

3 76 6.6 1.25

*Class taught by professor of color.

Ratios are calculated by dividing the white students’ participation rate by that of

students of color. 1.0 is the figure that would represent equal participation by

students regardless of race. Figures over 1.0 represent an imbalance toward white

students’ participation; figures under 1.0 represent an imbalance toward participa-

tion by students of color.

Participation rates are basically the average number of turns per student. The

participation rate for students of color, for example, is the number of turns taken by

students of color divided by the number of students of color enrolled in the course.

When average participation rates are equal—that is, when the average participation

rate for one group divided by the other equals 1.0—each group is participating in

proportion to its representation.