Students do better in classes taught by a teacher of their same racial or ethnic background because the incorporation of students’ culture into the classroom gives them a sense of connection, a new study suggests.

According to a report released Nov. 9 by the National Collaborative on Diversity in the Teaching Force, 60 percent of public school students nationwide are white, 17 percent are black and 17 percent are Hispanic. In comparison, 90 percent of teachers in public schools are white. Iowa State has similar numbers of minority students and faculty.

Love Anjonrin-Ohu, sophomore in mechanical engineering, was born in Nigeria but grew up in the United States. She said she has always been a minority in her classes, but said race doesn’t usually become apparent in a classroom until it is brought up.

“It’s all about perception — your perception,” Anjonrin-Ohu said. “If you go in thinking that ‘I’m the only one like me in this group,’ it can’t be a good thing. I really see it as another learning experience.”

Anjonrin-Ohu said she thinks teachers unconsciously stereotype students because it is human nature to do so.

“Sometimes past experiences will help the teacher, but I really think that comparing a student with other students and not treating each situation with individual merit is usually not a good way to go,” Anjonrin-Ohu said. “I think it’s the teacher’s responsibility to treat every case individually.”

Anjonrin-Ohu said the best teaching situation results from mutual respect between the student and the teacher, a situation that is developed more quickly between a student and teacher of similar backgrounds.

“It’s easier to respect people who you know have the same hardships as you, who know how it is to be in a country far away from home,” Anjonrin-Ohu said.

Marcus Camacho, senior in communication studies, who is Latino, also grew up in the United States.

He said the experiences minority students have in the classroom are dependent on their social environment.

“Personally, I think that I was affected,” Camacho said. “I think mostly it was a learning experience. It gave me the opportunity to interact and learn about the makeup of my community.”

Camacho said he agrees that teachers stereotype students, although he thinks Iowa State has made a great attempt to make minority students feel connected to the university.

“It’s very easy to take one individual and, because there are not too many of those individuals, take whatever characteristics we have of that individual and use that to generalize groups,” Camacho said.

Iowa State strives for a diverse faculty population, just as it strives for a diverse student population, said Leonard Perry, associate dean of students and director of minority student affairs.

He said students who have grown up in predominantly white communities generally do not have a hard time adapting to the learning culture of Iowa State, but students that come from a background that is stronger in their own ethnic culture sometimes feel a sense of isolation.

Perry said the study reflects mostly primary and secondary education because most students coming to the university know what to expect.

“By the time that students are focusing on university education, we’re talking about a different framework for education,” Perry said.